CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KGET) — California senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff took a tour of the privately owned CoreCivic ICE Detention Facility in California City Tuesday. The tour leaving both of them “deeply concerned.”
“So I’m leaving here, even more concerned than I was when I arrived. And to underscore the point, if the administration is true to their word, the population here is only going to grow,” said Democratic senator, Alex Padilla.
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The ICE detention facility in California City is owned by CoreCivic and can hold more than 2,500 people making it the largest detention facility in California. According to Schiff and Padilla, 1,400 detainees are currently in the facility, many expressing concerns about lack of medical attention, poor water and living conditions.
“We heard from, detainees who said there was mold in their food,” Schiff said. “One described a, salami or baloney sandwich that had … It was moldy. Many described getting stomach aches from, drinking, the water here.”
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Sen. Schiff described talking to a detainee who had diabetes and was unable to receive the insulin she needed.
“She’s been here for two months and is yet to receive treatment for her diabetes. That’s that is very, frightening. And others with other serious medical conditions that have not been attended to.”
People held in the facility are separated into different blocks averaging around 85 people per block with each given their own cell. The senators compared the conditions to a prison and one that is leaving many within its walls emotionally and mentally exhausted.
“People are so worn down. And, you know, they feel like they’re in prison, and many of them have committed no crime, apart from being here undocumented,” noted Schiff.
A few months ago, immigration activist groups held a protest against the facility at a California City Council meeting. One of those protestor’s mother was detained by ICE in Los Angeles and was held in the CoreCivic facility
“It’s very important because the people that are being detained in there need to know that the community is behind them,” said Riya Khan, a daughter of a detainee. “They are becoming hopeless, very depressed and not seeing their family, their loved ones.”
Officials at the facility noted to Sen. Padilla that conditions have improved over the past few months yet provided no scale to compare to for the senators.
17 News reached out to ICE for a comment on the tour and the allegation of poor living conditions, but have not heard a response.
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