California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday submitted formal comments urging city leaders in California City to reject CoreCivic's applications for a business license and site plan for its immigrant detention operations at the California City Correctional Facility. The facility, which opened last year without proper permits, has been plagued by serious deficiencies, including inadequate medical care, understaffing, and unsanitary conditions.
Bonta's letter highlights that CoreCivic's operations violate the city's municipal code. The facility, now the largest immigrant detention center in the state, began receiving detainees in August 2025 without the required business license or other entitlements.
Within two weeks, it housed an estimated 500 detainees, and by January 2026, the population had surged to over 1,400.
During inspections conducted in November 2025 under Assembly Bill 103, California Department of Justice staff found numerous violations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention standards. These included premature opening without adequate staffing, crisis-level healthcare understaffing, denial of access to outside medical specialists, exposure to extreme cold, water leaks into living quarters, inadequate food, excessively long lockdowns, and lack of recreational time.
In February 2026, the city approved a business license and site plan for CoreCivic's operations, but an administrative appeal was filed later that month. Bonta's letter argues that the city must reject the applications because CoreCivic failed to provide required documentation, such as proof of workers' compensation compliance and a complete site plan.
Additionally, the facility's use as an immigrant detention center violates zoning regulations and the existing conditional use permit, which allows up to 2,304 beds—not the 2,816 beds the city claims are authorized.
"Last year, CoreCivic opened the California City Detention Facility without proper permits and without sufficient staffing or preparation for the influx of detainees," Bonta said. "Now CoreCivic is belatedly seeking approval based on incomplete and misleading information.
I urge city leaders to reject its applications because CoreCivic's immigrant detention operations violate California City's Municipal Code."
The attorney general emphasized that his office has witnessed substandard conditions firsthand and cannot condone shortcuts that facilitate what he called the president's inhumane mass detention and deportation agenda. The city council is expected to consider the appeal in the coming weeks.