SD County sues Trump administration to perform inspection at Otay Mesa Facility
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KESQ) - San Diego County today filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration after federal officials last month blocked a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Immigrant Detention Center.
The suit was filed against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and private prison company CoreCivic after county leaders say the Trump administration failed to respond to a request to conduct the public health inspection. The county seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction requiring a full inspection while the case proceeds in court.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was named in preliminary documents but she has since been replaced in the role by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.
"There is too much at stake with hundreds of people detained at Otay, so we want this to go through the legal system quickly,'' said San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who was blocked from inspecting Otay in February along with Board Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre despite initially being cleared by the local ICE office. "Once again, this is about the rule of law."
County officials say detainees have reported freezing temperatures, untreated medical conditions, and food unfit for human consumption at the facility, prompting requests for elected officials and public health personnel to inspect the prison.
However, the county's public health officer was only given limited approval to view the facility last month, while a group of elected officials that included U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, and Lawson-Remer and Aguirre were denied entry.
"San Diego County has a legal and moral responsibility to protect the health of everyone within our borders, regardless of who operates the facility or who is held inside,'' Aguirre said at a news conference outside the federal courthouse in San Diego. ``By blocking a legitimate public health inspection, federal officials and CoreCivic are choosing secrecy over safety."
"We are filing this lawsuit because no one -- not even a federal agency or a for-profit corporation -- is above the law. If they have nothing to hide, they should open the doors.''
Otay Mesa Detention Center is operated by CoreCivic under a federal contract worth roughly $269 million over the past year, the county statement read. The company collects around $217 per detainee per day from taxpayers.
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San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan's inspection did not include access to medical records, confidential interviews with detainees, and facility health policies, officials said.
"Time is of the essence. The complaint makes clear that the county's inability to complete this inspection is causing ongoing and irreparable harm
