County releases inspection report on Otay Mesa Detention conditions after legal battle

Following a failed attempt to inspect the Otay Mesa Detention Center in February, the county released a public report Monday detailing conditions in the facility.

While the conditions during the inspection were generally within recommended state standards for detention facilities, concerning findings included an individual who was not provided a needed medical device 18 months after admission, as well as not having any vaccines in stock, the report said.

Another major area of concern was lack of responsiveness with County Public Health to coordinate tuberculosis-related cases. Two tuberculosis cases "were not reported from the facility's medical staff but were instead discovered through a facility vendor that provides medical testing services." The facility was unresponsive for several weeks before the facility finally cooperated with the communicable disease investigation.

"Tuberculosis requires immediate reporting and a coordinated response to identify exposed individuals, initiate appropriate treatment, and prevent further transmission," said County Public Health Officer Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan.

"Fortunately, in this case, the risk related to the suspected cases was low, but failure to communicate promptly is a serious breach of basic public health protocol and creates unacceptable risk for detainees, staff, visitors, and the surrounding community. Unfortunately, this issue was also documented in the attorney general's recent report from their inspection in 2025."

The initial attempt by county officials to inspect the center on Feb. 20 was denied by CoreCivic -- which operated Otay Mesa Detention Center under a contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security -- but a follow up visit after legal action was conducted June 12.

The county does not know what the conditions in the facility were on Feb. 20, when it initially attempted to conduct an inspection.

"For months, the federal government and CoreCivic tried to lock the doors and hide what was happening inside Otay Mesa Detention Center," said County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer.

"San Diego County became the first county in California to test this new inspection law in court -- and we won. We have proven that local governments do not have to sit back while private immigrant detention centers operate in secrecy. Now that we've documented the realities on the ground, the work does not stop here. Oversight cannot be a one-time event. Our congressional delegation must be relentless and intentional in their inspections moving forward to ensure humane conditions, proper medical care, and accountability for every person detained."

The county sued and a federal judge ruled San Diego Public Health has the authority to conduct a health and safety inspection of the center.

"The ruling affirms the county's authority to conduct these independent inspections to protect those at the facility and inform the public about the conditions," said County Counsel Damon Brown. "The county brought this action against the facility operators to enforce state and local rights to inspect federal detention facilities.

"The June 2026 preliminary injunction ruling allowed the county to conduct this inspection pending final relief on the merits. The county will continue to pursue its legal action, to obtain a final judgment that will affirm the county's rights to conduct future inspections."

On the date in June, Thihalolipavan, San Diego County Director of Environmental Health Heather Buonomo, and two consultants with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care conducted an eight-hour inspection of the facility. They inspected various areas of the facility, reviewed policies and procedures, had discussions with detainees and staff, and viewed medical records.

"The people held at Otay Mesa include the fathers, mothers, and neighbors of families in my district," said Board of Supervisors Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre. "When they started throwing handwritten notes over the fence begging for help, I went to see for myself how they were being treated. I had written approval in my hand, and the federal government turned me away. I didn't accept that answer. Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and I took the federal government to court, and we won."

The facility was recently sold to the federal government but continues to be operated by CoreCivic.

"The county does not believe the sale will impact future inspections because the statute allows the county to inspect `private detention facilities' which are defined as detention facilities `operated by a private, nongovernmental, for-profit entity' pursuant to a contract with a governmental entity," a county statement read.