![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sut-l-county-inspection-005.jpg\")
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla walks with San Diego County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre after he was denied access to the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Friday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nTwo county health officials set to perform a planned inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center were granted only limited access Friday, and two county supervisors who said they had prior written approval to also tour the facility were subsequently turned away.<\/p>\n
An hour later Friday, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who also wished to conduct an oversight visit, was also denied access to the San Diego immigration detention center.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very deeply concerned,\u201d Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer told reporters. She and Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said they had both received prior written clearance from local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials but were told Friday they required additional approval from the agency\u2019s national office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a huge red flag to me that they will not let us in,\u201d Lawson-Remer said.<\/p>\n
The events Friday only add to the ongoing inconsistencies in access faced by Democratic public officials trying to inspect local facilities that detain immigrants. The day prior, Rep. Mike Levin was granted access for a brief tour of public areas.<\/p>\n
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla walks with San Diego County Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre after he was denied access to the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Friday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
County officials said their visits were in response to reported concerns about conditions inside the detention center, including the quality of food and nutrition and access to medical care. The news site L.A. Taco first reported<\/a> that detainees earlier this month had thrown lotion bottles with handwritten notes denouncing the situation inside the detention center to protesters attending a weekly vigil outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, which is run by a private contractor.<\/p>\n During her visit to San Diego<\/a> last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem touted the agency\u2019s standards for detention facilities nationwide. \u201cWe\u2019re proud of the fact that every single individual, when they come, that they\u2019re well taken care of,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Padilla referenced the secretary\u2019s statement and asked, \u201cIf that\u2019s the case, what are they afraid of?\u201d<\/p>\n Members of Congress are allowed to conduct oversight at any facility operated by or for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security \u201cused to detain or otherwise house\u201d immigrants, as stated<\/a> in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024.<\/p>\n On Jan. 8, Noem issued a memo<\/a> insisting that requests to visit facilities must be made at least seven calendar days in advance. She also stated that any requests to shorten this period must be approved by her.<\/p>\n \u201cThe basis for this policy is that advance notice is necessary to ensure adequate protection for Members of Congress, congressional staff, detainees, and ICE employees alike. Unannounced visits require pulling ICE officers away from their normal duties,\u201d she wrote in the memo.<\/p>\n Padilla did not provide advance notice to the facility, his office said. Lawson-Remer said they were given a copy of the DHS policy even though they explained that they were there to conduct a public health inspection, not as members of Congress.<\/p>\n Prior to the visit, county officials said the inspection was set to focus \u201con core public health conditions, including sanitation practices, access to medical care, temperature control, food safety, and compliance with applicable health standards.\u201d<\/p>\n Aguirre said that while the county\u2019s chief medical officer was allowed inside along with another public health official, he was not permitted to review the detainees\u2019 medical records, was not given a copy of the policies and was not allowed inside the general population area.<\/p>\n \u201cHe basically was only allowed to see the kitchen and the medical base, which is insufficient information to properly conduct an inspection,\u201d Aguirre said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said he was able to just look at the facilities and speak with a couple of staff members, no detainees,\u201d added Lawson-Remer.<\/p>\n Aguirre said the county will explore litigation because they were not allowed to conduct a proper inspection.<\/p>\n California Health and Safety Code allows county health officers to investigate private detention facilities if necessary, according to officials.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for CoreCivic, the private prison operator that runs the facility, said Friday in a statement that \u201cthe leadership and staff at OMDC welcome the oversight of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and are cooperating fully with the Public Health Officer related to an on-site visit.\u201d<\/p>\n The spokesperson added that \u201call visits and\/or tours must be coordinated and approved by our government partners at ICE.\u201d<\/p>\n ICE did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.<\/p>\n The CoreCivic spokesperson also said that the facility provides medical and mental health services to all detainees and nutritious meals to those in its care, among other services. \u201cThe safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care is our top priority,\u201d said CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin.<\/p>\n Amid the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to carry out mass deportations, there have been reports<\/a> of overcrowding.<\/p>\n Data obtained by the Deportation Data Project from the federal agency indicates that the Otay Mesa detention facility exceeded its contractual capacity of 1,358 from July 23 to Oct. 15, the last date of available data.<\/p>\n The data, obtained via public records requests, show that during the Biden administration, the facility was occasionally over capacity, though never by more than 100 people. During the Trump administration, however, there were periods when the facility exceeded capacity by more than 200 people.<\/p>\n Neither ICE nor CoreCivic responded to questions about the data.<\/p>\n Other lawmakers had previously requested access to the Otay Mesa Detention Center and other San Diego immigration detention facilities.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sut-l-county-inspection-007.jpg\")
The Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n