Federal purchase of Adelanto detention facilities raises questions about oversight

ADELANTO, Calif. (KESQ) - The federal government’s purchase of immigration detention facilities in Adelanto is raising questions about transparency, state oversight and what the change could mean for people being held inside.

The $950 million purchase transfers ownership of the Adelanto West ICE Processing Center, Adelanto East ICE Processing Center and the Desert View Annex from private prison operator GEO Group to the federal government.

The change in ownership has drawn attention to California’s ability to monitor conditions inside immigration detention facilities and make information about those conditions available to the public.

California’s AB 103 authorizes the state attorney general to inspect certain immigration detention facilities and report on conditions, including the treatment of detainees. The law covers county, local and privately operated detention facilities, raising questions about how its oversight provisions apply when the federal government owns a facility.

Federal ownership does not automatically mean all oversight will end. However, the purchase raises questions about what authority California officials will retain and what mechanisms will be available to independently review conditions at the Adelanto facilities.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.