A new San Diego County report warns the region’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program could run out of money as the number of detainees in federal immigration custody continues to rise.
County officials say the growing population at the Otay Mesa detention center, based on data published by ICE Integrated Decision Support, is driving a sharp increase in demand for legal representation.
Under current funding, the county said the program can support about 525 detained clients and 25 unaccompanied minors each month.
However, projections show roughly double that number could require legal help in the upcoming fiscal year. Even suspending new client intake as early as July may not cover all projected expenses.
San Diego County’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program, known as ILDP, is projected to face a double-digit million-dollar deficit if migrant detention numbers continue to increase.
The county report notes the program has served detained immigrants since April 2022. At that time, the program averaged about 56 clients per month and had 11 attorneys providing services.
As of December, the number of clients has risen dramatically. The program is averaging about 1,200 clients per month this fiscal year with 56 attorneys providing legal representation.
At the Otay Mesa detention center, the average daily population increased about 200% when comparing the 2020-21 and 2024-25 fiscal years, according to ICE Integrated Decision Support numbers cited in the report.
By the end of the current fiscal year, the program’s $5 million budget, along with $4.6 million carried over from the previous fiscal year, is expected to be fully used to cover ongoing legal representation costs.
Looking ahead, county projections show spending next fiscal year could exceed the $5 million annual budget, plus carryover funds and donations, by about $7.6 million.
The report warns existing resources may not even be enough to cover active cases from previous years before considering new clients.
For the next fiscal year, the program estimates about 1,800 clients per month will need legal representation. That level of demand would require more than 90 attorneys, 34 more than the current 56 attorneys offering services.
Client numbers could climb even higher, reaching about 2,500 per month by the 2027-28 fiscal year.
If current trends continue, the report projects a funding gap of about $13 million next fiscal year and more than $17 million in costs projected by the 2027-28 fiscal year.
To help address the growing costs, the report says the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is exploring philanthropic, charitable and state funding opportunities to bring additional money to the program.
County staff have also been directed to work with the Office of Economic Development and Government Affairs to identify additional funding sources.
County officials also said departments, nonprofit partners and policymakers will play a key role in sustaining the legal defense program over the long term. They added that potential changes in immigration laws could either ease or increase the projected demand for services.
NBC 7 reached out to ICE for comment but did not immediately hear back.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.