Kern County will have California’s largest immigration detention center

On Tuesday, June 24, California City’s City Council will hold a meeting to express its opposition to a proposed immigration detention center in the Kern County community.

Earlier this week, the private prison and detention contractor CoreCivic finalized an agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to transform its 2,560-bed facility in California City into the state’s newest and largest immigration detention center.

Currently, Kern County has two ICE detention facilities, located at the Golden State Annex in McFarland and Mesa Verde in Bakersfield, off Golden State Avenue. 

According to the L.A. Times, CoreCivic reported receiving an initial $10 million in funding, with the potential for up to $31.2 million over a six-month period starting in April, during which the company and ICE will continue negotiating a long-term agreement.

Amid reports of ongoing raids in Los Angeles County continue to surface, Kern County is not new to these immigration operations. On Tuesday, January 7, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed its first bill of the year, a border security measure mandating the detention and deportation of unauthorized immigrants charged with theft-related offenses led to more than 65 United States Border Patrol agents arriving in Kern County. 

The agents traveled over 300 miles to launch “Operation Return to Sender,” which was a week-long operation targeting predominantly Latino areas in the county. Even though the operation only lasted a week, it brought great fear to the undocumented immigrant community. 

As the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement efforts this year, residents and organizations across L.A. County have been actively protesting and marching to denounce ICE’s presence in their communities.

Bakersfield locals have also joined the movement, standing in solidarity and participating in protests of their own as well.