<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/69af26ffb43b6.image.png\")
<\/p>\n
Sen. Sasha\u00a0Ren\u00e9e P\u00e9rez introduced legislation that would expand oversight and accountability for detention centers in California. (Screenshot from CHIRLA livestream)<\/p>\n
Sen. Sasha Ren\u00e9e P\u00e9rez (D-Pasadena) introduced SB 995 last week, a bill aimed at strengthening state oversight of private detention facilities.<\/p>\n
The Masuma Khan Justice Act is named after a 64-year-old Altadena resident who was held in Kern County\u2019s California City Detention Facility under inhumane conditions. If the bill passes, facilities could face fines of up to $25,000 for each day and each violation, along with the potential suspension or revocation of their state operating permits, if they do not comply with health, safety and labor standards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are confronting a humanitarian crisis,\u201d P\u00e9rez said during a press conference in Los Angeles on Friday. \u201cAcross this country inside private immigration detention centers, people are being denied their basic rights. People are being denied access to legal counsel, they are being denied medical care, they are being denied something as simple and as essential as soap and water and safe food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immigrants have been facing indefinite detention<\/a>, a reversal of longstanding policy, and while inside have been dealing with dire conditions including food that has gone bad, toilets that don\u2019t work and overall dirty conditions, many outlets including PBS<\/a> have reported.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I was detained at Core Civic’s California City facility, I experienced fear and lasting trauma that no one should have to experience,\u201d Khan said in a prepared statement. \u201cI was not given vital medications, proper meals, and often, access to communicate with my family and attorneys. The lack of transparency and accountability at these facilities can only be prevented when third parties, including legislators and regulatory agencies, get fully involved.\u201d<\/p>\n As of February, the number of people in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was over 70,000 and 10 deaths in ICE custody have been reported since January.<\/p>\n A recent federal class lawsuit<\/a> was filed against the GEO Group, one of the biggest for-profit private prison corporations that operates ICE centers including the Adelanto Processing Center. The filing claims the corporation has been violating the constitutional rights of the thousands of detainees in its centers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis legislation is grounded in a simple principle,\u201d P\u00e9rez said. \u201cIf detention centers operate in California, they must meet California standards for safety, dignity and human rights. Right now that oversight is not strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n California counties have the authority to inspect the detention centers in their jurisdiction, but so far, only three of the four counties that have detention centers have inspected them. Lawmakers, including California Sen. Alex Padilla, have been denied access<\/a> while attempting to perform oversight visits to detention centers.<\/p>\n P\u00e9rez pointed to first-hand reports that have come out of the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, detailing inhumane conditions and what Perez called \u201cmessages of desperation.\u201d LA Taco<\/a> first reported detainees were throwing small hygiene bottles with notes attached over the fences of the detention center, which were then picked up by organizers monitoring the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cAccountability prevents abuses and systematic neglect. Transparency and independent oversight protects both people and institutions,\u201d said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, a co-sponsor of SB 995. \u201cDetention must never mean the loss of basic human rights and should never, never, endanger lives.\u201d<\/p>\n