A court-appointed monitor has determined that California's largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center violated a federal court order requiring adequate medical care for detained migrants, according to a report released Monday.
Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar, the independent monitor, found that the California City Immigration Processing Center, located roughly 75 miles east of Bakersfield, lacked sufficient staffing, stable on-site management, clinical oversight, and an effective quality assurance process to promptly address medical issues. The report, provided by the American Civil Liberties Union, noted that staff were pulled from training before completion due to staffing shortages.
“Given the number of patients and the seriousness of their medical and mental health needs, these substantial gaps contribute to an unsafe environment,” Anandkumar wrote. He emphasized that his assessment was conducted as a neutral party, unaffiliated with the ACLU.
The monitor concluded the facility had no “reliable system” to consistently provide healthcare to migrants, placing them “at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm.” The findings were based on interviews with 40 patients, dozens of staff, and reviews of 141 patient medical records and documentation from ICE and CoreCivic, the private prison operator running the center, during a three-day inspection.
U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney appointed Anandkumar in March and outlined eight prerequisites for a functional healthcare system, including timely emergency services and adequate hospital staffing. Anandkumar found the detention center failed to meet any of these requirements. He noted that while facility staff reported monitoring metrics daily and weekly, it remained unclear why care gaps persisted and how issues were escalated and resolved.
“Because the facility uses an electronic medical record system, developing reports to track these metrics should be feasible and should allow leadership to monitor performance more effectively and reduce the risk of patient harm,” Anandkumar added.
The Hill reached out to CoreCivic for comment. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that no detainees are denied medical care and that ICE facilities undergo regular audits and inspections to ensure compliance with national detention standards. CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin told CalMatters that when specialty care is needed, facility staff coordinate with community providers, but scheduling and capacity of outside providers are beyond the facility’s control.
This report comes amid broader scrutiny of ICE detention conditions, including a recent incident where a Denver airport ICE detention of an Ecuadorian au pair sparked outcry. The findings also highlight ongoing challenges in private prison operations, as data centers become a surprise flashpoint in the 2026 midterms amid grid strain, reflecting a political landscape where infrastructure and oversight issues intersect.
