Advocates and residents came forward during Tuesday evening’s California City Planning Commission meeting to speak against the sudden opening of a new CoreCivic immigration detention facility, urging local leaders to take a stronger stand against what they described as an unlawful and harmful operation.
Prior to the meeting, advocates from the Rapid Response Network of Kern and the Dolores Huerta Foundation held an emergency press conference outside the California City chambers, calling for the closure of the facility. Rosa Lopez, a volunteer with the Rapid Response Network, urged officials to reject CoreCivic’s business license application and to expose the corporation’s lack of transparency.
“If they’re applying for a business license, that means they are making a business out of cleaning our immigrant communities,” Lopez said. She accused CoreCivic and ICE of breaking the law and operating without permits, noting that at least 13 people have died in immigration detention centers this year, the highest number in decades. “We are asking the state, the elected officials here in California City, and our members of Congress to demand the shutdown of the California City detention center and instead invest in healthy communities, not cages.”
Inside the commission chambers, many residents said news of transfers to the facility blindsided them, especially as questions remain over whether CoreCivic has the necessary permits.
“We’re really outraged,” said Marcella Hernandez of the Detention Watch Network. “These corporations lie, hide information, and open without proper approvals. We’re asking you to speak out and hold them accountable.”
Speakers described both moral and practical concerns with the detention center. Nisha White, a homeowner and organizer with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, questioned why CoreCivic operates without a business license.
“What business could ever come to California City without having a license and still be operational?” she asked. She warned that private prison operators often leave financially struggling cities worse off, citing examples where other municipalities owed millions in debt. “This is a humanitarian issue. We need businesses that uplift the city, not tear it down.”
Others spoke about the reputational and ethical costs of aligning with CoreCivic.
“As a marketing professional, I’m appalled,” said resident Elena Smith. “For California City to align with organizations with known human and civil rights violations is not a good look. If you’re against this, you should be pushing back with all you’ve got.”
Natalia, with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, argued that the city’s lack of transparency undermines community trust.
“Rules are in place to ensure accountability, fairness, and public safety,” she said. “If you overlook them, you create the perception that some entities are above the law, while everyday residents and small businesses must comply.”
For others, the issue felt deeply personal. Berto Hernandez with the California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance described their own experience in detention, calling out officials for praying at the start of the meeting while allowing a facility they said would separate families and cause suffering.
“How Christian and how godly is that?” they asked. “As somebody who suffered detention, who witnessed sexual abuse and separation of families, you cannot tell me that’s Christian. I’m tired of people preaching the word of God and then turning around and doing the most horrendous things.”
Advocates also raised legal challenges, pointing to California’s SB 29 law requiring public hearings and advance notice for detention permits, as well as concerns that the city violated open meeting laws under the Brown Act. Advocates warned the commission that transparency, proper licensing, and public trust are not optional — they are essential.
Even with this flood of testimony, planning officials reiterated that the commission holds no authority over CoreCivic’s application, which falls under a Site Plan Review (SPR) minor. The company recently resubmitted paperwork updating its business and operational plans, and city staff are reviewing it. The filing included no environmental documents.
Still, residents demanded that commissioners use their voices to oppose the facility. “If you can’t vote on this permit,” Hernandez told the commission, “then put out a statement saying you don’t want this business in your community.”
