Prison Cell Bars. (Photo: Dan Henson/Shuttertock)
Former California City Prison On It’s Way to Becoming Next ICE Detention Facility in California
Governor Newsom closed down a state prison only for an ICE facility to replace it
By Evan Symon, June 27, 2025 2:45 am
For much of the first half of the 2020’s, the California City Correctional Facility (CCCF) in Kern County went from bad to worse. Sparked by Governor Gavin Newsom’s promise to reduce the number of prisons, CCCF went from being on the chopping block in 2019, to having an announced closure in 2022, to being closed in 2024. During the time, CoreCivic also took over, making the CCCF a privately run facility.
However, as California cut prisons, the federal government soon had a huge need for them. Following Donald Trump being sworn into a second term as President in January, the federal government ramped up deportations of illegal immigrants. While there were many facilities ready to hold illegal immigrants in the Southeast, the West was somewhat lacking. And as states like California, Nevada, and Arizona had significant numbers of illegal immigrants, the need for holding facilities was a pressing concern.
By June 2025, around 59,000 illegal immigrants were being detained at these centers, with Los Angeles ICE raids alone bringing in hundreds a day for processing and deportation. And by this point, the idle 2,304 cell CCCF was just too good to pass up.
In April, CoreCivic confirmed a preliminary agreement with ICE to use the CCCF, with a longer term agreement this week now setting up the CCCF, which was built in only 1998, to open up as an ICE detention facility.
As the prison closure caused many jobs to be lost at the prison and a major employer to suddenly go away, the city sees the reopening of the CCCF facility as an ICE facility for the foreseeable future as a huge win for the struggling city.
“It’s been mostly positive,” explained California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins. “We’ve heard a few questions again related to ICE and the facility itself and the transition possibly from a correctional facility to an immigration processing center. Nothing is written in stone yet. Contracts haven’t been finalized or anything like that.
“I have requested and even on a tour with the individuals who run the facility, CoreCivic, that the city have some oversight if and when it does open, that we have the ability to make sure that the conditions are humane and folks are being treated fairly.”
A new ICE facility
However, state officials, like Attorney General Rob Bonta, have opposed the CCCF facility from reopening, stating that there is already too many such ICE facilities in California. Currently in the state, there are 6 ICE detention facilities, including the Mesa Verde facility in Bakersfield just down the road from California City.
“We urge California City to reject the false promise of prosperity and stand against the expansion of immigrant detention,” added the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
With the CCCF likely now to reopen as an ICE detention facility for illegal immigrants residing in Southern and Central California, those who oppose it can’t really blame California City for wanting to do this. It’s an unused prison in good condition that will need minimal conversion work from CoreCivic. It will bring back taxes and jobs to the city. And, as for how ICE facilities go, CCCF will be secure and close enough to major airports and highways to readily bring in and out illegal immigrants.
If those in opposition want anyone to blame, it should really fall back on Governor Newsom. He’s the one that fought so hard to close more prisons in California as a way to save money and reduce the prison population. While that had many other issues to come along with it (crime, less punishment for criminals, etc.), a closed but pristine prison currently under private hands was just begging to be brought back to usage in some way, shape, or form. And by the timing of it all, it was something that some lawmakers in Sacramento were even more opposed to – ICE facilities.
With the CCCF on it’s way to becoming an ICE facility, Newsom just essentially traded in something he hated, only for something he hated even more to come in and replace it.
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The addition of 2,304 cells will certainly be welcomed by those of us who insist that the illegal trespassers who have invaded our country and broken our laws be arrested and deported. It is a drop in the bucket but would be moving in the right direction.
Bonta does not want them in prison!
They can’t vote if they are locked up!
Shame.
Dear President Trump,
Facility Name Proposal:
CDTBBRS13
(CASA DELORES TRANS BORDER BROTHER REPAT SANCTUARY 13).
There might be a deal to be made where ICE can load deportees on deportation flights out of Edwards AFB, just down the road from California City. This might reduce some of the anti-deportation drama at public access airfields. As for potential detention and deportation out of a private prison in Adelanto, former George AFB is just a jump and a skip away.
Another detention center could be built on China Lake NAWS where the former (long since demolished) civilian duplex housing was just west of (mirror?) dry lake (W/O B Mountain) and a mile or so N/O the south gate (Langley and Hawthorne streets? X/O Richmond). There is Armitage Field on base, and also former NOTS air field at Inyokern. Any of the locations would be a little more difficult to stage protests due to lack of amenities, hot in summer, cold in winter, and outsiders in town would stick out like sore thumbs and be ripe for the plucking.
Great idea, combined sites to be identified in homage to protestors as; AREA 5150.
Glad to see this former prison being put to good use after our dimwit governor shut it down.
Better yet, President Trump – rename the prison for Gavin Newsom…
The attention whore craves publicity, so we should give it to him good and hard….
This article brought back some memories… Through street view, the Richmond gate guard shack at China Lake looks much like it did when it was manned by Marine Corps MPs with side arms and slung M14s, before civilian base security replaced them probably by 1968. The old “keep your mouth shut” billboards, arranged like the old Burma Shave road side signs, are long gone. I remember the F8 Crusaders, F4 Phantoms, A6 Intruders and the F14 Tomcats when they were brand spankin’ new at VX5. My memories of California City is tandem with sand filled, tumbleweed choked, dried up water fountain at the west entrance in the early 80s. To me, it perfectly exemplified the town essence. Edwards AFB had some serious hoodoo going on at the time, more than likely still. Their flight line security impressed me. Adelanto in the early 90s was something else, transplanted gang banger central with an egregiously corrupt police department. The main attraction was the Cocky Bull restaurant, there was also the adult beverage dispensery Jet Room. I’ve never been on former George AFB proper, but I’m very familiar with the the greater area around it. Another place that might be good to build an ICE detention facility is Fort Irwin, next to the Goldstone project, it is smack dab in the middle of absolutly frickin’ nowhere. However, deportees might need to be bussed elsewhere for flights. I’ve been to several on base projects at Irwin. There is also 29 Palms, which for the several times I was there on projects had very tight security. Deportees might need to be bussed out for flights. Camp Pendleton could work, but the security seems to have been pretty lax when I was there, and deportees might need to be bussed elsewhere for flights. I’ve never been to Miramar, I don’t think it would be suitible for a detention facility but it is a Marine Corp airfield.
OH, the irony, of Gruesome shutting down a prison only to have it pop back up for this.