{"slug": "judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-inspection-of-southern-california-immigrant-detention", "title": "Judge orders DHS to allow inspection of Southern California immigrant detention center", "summary": "A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to allow San Diego County officials to conduct a full public health inspection within two weeks at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, a facility housing immigrant detainees. County officials had sued after being denied access for months, citing reports of untreated medical conditions, freezing temperatures, and contaminated food. The ruling, which county supervisors called a historic victory for immigrant rights and government accountability, marks the first major court test of a California law authorizing local health inspections of private immigrant detention centers.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...The Trump administration must allow San Diego County officials to conduct a full public health inspection within the next two weeks at the Otay Mesa facility housing immigrant detainees, a federal judge ruled late Wednesday in an order county officials hailed as the first of its kind and a major win for “immigrant rights and government accountability.”\n\nCounty officials have [sought for months to conduct such an inspection](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/20/health-inspectors-granted-limited-access-to-immigration-detention-center-but-lawmakers-turned-away/) at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, arguing there had been “troubling reports” from detainees inside the facility of untreated medical conditions, freezing temperatures and contaminated food.\n\nCounty Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Paloma Aguirre were allegedly turned away from the facility in February while seeking to take part in an inspection on the same day the county’s public health officer was allowed partial access to conduct a limited inspection. The county subsequently [filed a lawsuit in March arguing that state law granted them the authority](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/03/10/san-diego-county-sues-dhs-to-conduct-full-health-inspection-of-immigration-detention-center/) to conduct a full health inspection.\n\nU.S. District Judge James Simmons [signaled during a hearing last month that he would allow the inspection](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/05/07/judge-leaning-toward-county-inspection-of-otay-mesa-detention-center/). He finalized that ruling Wednesday in a written order granting the county’s motion for preliminary injunction. Simmons wrote that the defendants — which include the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and private prison operator CoreCivic — “shall not prevent, delay, or obstruct (the county) from completing a health and safety inspection.”\n\nCounty officials said after the ruling that they’d made “legal history … (by) winning one of the first major court tests of California’s new law authorizing local public health inspections of private immigrant detention centers.” Lawson-Remer said the county had “set the gold standard for the rest of the state” with Wednesday’s ruling.\n\n“It’s an enormous victory for immigrant rights and for the 1,400 detainees at Otay Mesa Detention Center and thousands of other detained immigrants throughout the state of California,” Lawson-Remer said. “By standing up to ICE’s efforts to block oversight, San Diego County has created a pathway for meaningful inspections throughout California. This ruling sends a powerful message to the Trump Administration that accountability matters and that the health and well-being of detained immigrants cannot be ignored.”\n\nOfficials from CoreCivic and the federal agencies named as defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Wednesday.\n\nSimmons ordered the Trump administration and CoreCivic to allow the inspection no later than June 17. He also ordered CoreCivic to turn over certain documents pertaining to its policies and procedures, which the county had sought, no later than Friday. But he limited who could take part in the inspection.\n\nLawson-Remer, Aguirre and other elected county officials will not be allowed to take part in the inspection, according to Simmons’ order. He ruled that the inspection team be limited to four people, and that all four be “credentialed subject matter experts.”\n\nThe team can include the county’s public health officer, a representative from the county’s Department of Environmental Health and Quality and one or two consultants from NCCHC Resources, a private company that supports the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.\n\nOn other key issues of contention, the judge ordered the federal government and CoreCivic to allow the inspection team to interview “any Facility detainee who agrees to speak with them orally or in writing.” He also ordered the federal government and CoreCivic to allow the inspection team to review medical records that are “necessary and relevant to the health and safety inspection.”\n\nDr. Sayone Thihalolipavan, the county’s public health officer, had attempted to inspect the San Diego facility on Feb. 20, but county officials said he was only given limited access to view the kitchen and two medical bays. The officials said he was not allowed to review medical records, examine facility health policies, assess staffing levels or speak confidentially with detainees.\n\nLater that day, Lawson-Remer and Aguirre arrived at the facility as part of the inspection, but they were turned away by the detention center’s staff, who argued that they needed approval from ICE. Both supervisors said they had received written clearance in advance, yet they said they were still denied entry at the last minute on orders from the federal agency’s headquarters.\n\nThe county subsequently filed its lawsuit.\n\nAccording to the judge’s ruling, the county will have a full day to conduct its inspection. Simmons ordered both the defendants and the county to “reasonably cooperate with each other and take all necessary and reasonable actions” to implement his order and facilitate the inspection.\n\n*Staff writer Alexandra Mendoza contributed to this report. *", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-inspection-of-southern-california-immigrant-detention", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/04/san-diego-judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-county-inspection-of-otay-mesa-immigrant-detention-center/", "published_at": "2026-06-04 13:05:09+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-04 14:00:03.675753+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy"], "entities": ["Trump administration", "San Diego County", "Otay Mesa Detention Center", "Terra Lawson-Remer", "Paloma Aguirre", "James Simmons"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-inspection-of-southern-california-immigrant-detention", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-inspection-of-southern-california-immigrant-detention.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-inspection-of-southern-california-immigrant-detention.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/judge-orders-dhs-to-allow-inspection-of-southern-california-immigrant-detention.jsonld"}}