As CoreCivic pushes ahead with plans to reopen a private immigration detention facility in California City, local advocates are raising concerns over a lack of transparency from city officials and are urging the community to take action.

Rosa Lopez, senior policy advocate with the ACLU of Southern California, said in an interview that although the mayor has stated the city won’t block the facility’s reopening, community members still have a role to play.

“There’s definitely a lot the city council can do, but they’re not willing to,” Lopez said. “Right now, our work is focused on mobilizing the community and demanding transparency.”

Lopez said there have been “behind-the-scenes” discussions between CoreCivic and city leaders, raising alarms among advocacy groups. The ACLU filed a public records request over two months ago to uncover details of those communications. The city recently responded, claiming no records existed because the facility is not under state jurisdiction — a claim Lopez says is inaccurate.

The ACLU and its partners are calling for the city council to require CoreCivic to go through a full permitting process and ensure that any decisions about the facility are made in public view.

“We want the community to know what’s happening and to have a voice in the process,” Lopez said.