San Diego County today filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump Administration after federal officials blocked a lawful public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Immigrant Detention Center.

Click here to read lawsuit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tWaz8AxeAOYxE1OEMv7NKVy686Phy4IQ/view?usp=sharing

The lawsuit seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates the facility, to allow San Diego County’s Public Health Officer to conduct a full inspection of the detention center while the case proceeds in court.

County officials say the inspection is authorized under California law and is necessary to investigate reports of unsafe and unhealthy conditions inside the facility.

A news conference was held outside federal court in San Diego after the lawsuit was filed. 

“There is too much at stake with hundreds of people detained at Otay, so we want this to go through the legal system quickly. Once again, this is about the rule of law,” 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  after initially being cleared by the local ICE office.  

“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. By blocking a legitimate public health inspection, federal officials and CoreCivic are choosing secrecy over safety," said San Diego County Board Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre. "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."

The lawsuit asks the court to enforce California Health and Safety Code Section 101045, a 2024 law that authorizes local public health officers to investigate private detention facilities to ensure they meet health and safety standards.

“Time is of the essence. The Complaint makes clear that the County’s inability to complete this inspection is causing ongoing and irreparable harm to the County and its residents,” said Damon Brown, San Diego County Counsel.

County officials say the inspection is necessary to protect the health and safety of detainees, staff, and the surrounding community. Conditions inside detention facilities can affect the broader public through staff, contractors, and visitors who move between the facility and the community every day.

Background:

San Diego County scheduled a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center more than a week in advance under California Health and Safety Code Section 101045.

Before the inspection, ICE officials confirmed in writing that Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Board Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre had been cleared to enter the facility as part of the County’s inspection team.

On February 20, San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan arrived at the facility to begin the inspection.

Dr. Thihalolipavan was permitted only limited access. He was briefly shown a kitchen and two medical bays but was denied access to medical records, confidential interviews with detainees, and facility health policies — the information required to conduct a full public health inspection.

When Chair Lawson-Remer and Chair Pro Tem Aguirre arrived later to join the inspection team, detention officials informed them that national ICE leadership had reversed the earlier approval and that they would not be allowed to enter the facility.

Detention officials threatened to summon the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department if the supervisors did not leave the premises.

This legal action follows weeks of alarming reports from inside the facility.

Otay Mesa Detention Center is operated by CoreCivic under a federal contract reported to be worth roughly $269 million over the past year. The company collects approximately $217 per detainee per day from federal taxpayers.

Detainees have described freezing temperatures, untreated medical conditions, and food unfit for human consumption.

More than 30 people died in ICE custody in 2025 — the highest annual total in two decades. Several additional deaths have already been reported in 2026.

Inspection Request

In a letter sent March 3 to ICE officials, San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Sayone Thihalolipavan followed up on the County’s request to complete the inspection.

The County had provided the information ICE requested six days earlier and had been awaiting confirmation that the inspection could proceed.

“We responded to your questions six days ago and anticipated that approval would have been granted by now,” Dr. Thihalolipavan wrote.                                                                                 

He informed ICE that the County intended to complete the inspection on March 6 and requested confirmation that federal officials would allow full access to the facility.

“If we do not receive the necessary clearances and confirmation… we will construe the agency’s inaction or refusal as a denial of our right to complete an inspection under Health and Safety Code 101045 and will take appropriate steps to enforce our rights under the statute,” he wrote.