Is California’s Largest ICE Detention Center Operating Legally?

KQED's Forum

KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

California City in Kern county is now home to the state’s largest ICE detention facility after private prison giant CoreCivic formally contracted to run it last month. But immigrant rights advocates say it lacks proper permits, and detainees have staged hunger strikes to protest filthy conditions and lack of access to medical care. Meanwhile, California City officials say they have no authority to challenge prison operations. We talk about how it’s dividing the community. Guests: Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQED Sam Levin, senior criminal justice reporter, the Guardian US Marquette Hawkins, mayor, California City Vikram Amar, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you had the smartest Wi-Fi, it'd be Xfinity.
0:05.0	It would boost speeds to the devices that needed them most, and protect you from threats at home and online.
0:11.0	Xfinity. Imagine that. Restrictions apply.
0:15.0	If you had the smartest Wi-Fi, it'd be Xfinity.
0:20.0	It would boost speeds to the devices that needed them most,
0:23.7	and to protect you from threats at home and online.
0:27.0	Xfinity, imagine that.
0:29.1	Restrictions apply.
0:31.9	From KQED.
0:32.7	KQED in San Francisco, I'm Nina Kim.
0:51.4	Coming up on forum, it's called California City in Kern County, and it's home to the state's largest capacity ICE detention facility.
0:59.0	Run by private prison giant Corcivic, the facility is already facing a barrage of complaints from detainees and their advocates after operating for a month and a half.
1:09.0	Some being held there have gone on hunger strike
1:11.7	to protest conditions, clogged toilets, murky water, lack of medical care, which core civic denies.
1:18.0	California city officials say they're unable to stop what's happening inside. We look at how
1:22.5	the detention center is dividing a community and what can be done. Join us.
1:31.3	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim. California City is about two hours away from Los Angeles
1:41.3	in the middle of a sprawling desert in Kern County. And as of late August,
1:45.5	an idle former state prison there has become an ICE detention facility capable of holding more
1:50.6	than 2,500. It's already drawn complaints of inhumane treatment of detainees and accusations of
1:56.7	operating illegally. We look this hour at the impact the detention center is having on the community
2:02.0	and the questions it's raising about the potential for ICE facilities popping up in other parts of California.
	...

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