In California City, officials held a special city council meeting on Nov. 17 to address urgent matters. Saul Ayon, the mayor of McFarland and a supporter of the detention center, was scheduled to brief the city council on McFarland’s detention center, including its economic impact and ongoing operations. However, Ayon was unable to attend.
Kern Sol News reached out to Ayon for a comment, but did not receive one.
Jonathan Rodriguez, a resident of McFarland, said he believes Ayon should place greater emphasis on developing the rural community.
“It leaves a bad taste in your mouth because you wish that your mayor, out of all the people in your community, would hope to better your community instead of worsening it, ”said Rodriguez. “The higher-ups should be focused on education or trying to help the community instead of focusing on detention centers, which are known just to be used for money and not necessarily to benefit the community, more so just to harm it.”
California City is the latest in the growing number of Kern County communities, following Bakersfield and McFarland, to host immigration detention facilities, with its own center opening in September 2025. Supporters of these facilities argue that they bring employment opportunities and financial benefits to small towns struggling with limited economic growth. However, opponents believe the moral and social costs far outweigh any economic gain.
For many residents, this news is troubling. McFarland resident Avneet Grewal voiced concerns about the expansion of detention facilities in the region.
“I think that detention centers don’t do much good; they need to be reconsidered. The system ignores the psychological and emotional effects it has on people,” said Grewal.
Grewal went on to suggest that better support systems should be set in place, rather than detention, which could help address immigration issues with greater compassion and humanity.
“Detention facilities should emphasize rehabilitation. Sympathetic treatment and assistance should also be included. We should definitely be looking into finding methods that are more effective and compassionate,” stated Grewal.
In early 2020, McFarland’s community members were presented with a proposal to open an immigration detention center, an idea that immediately stirred controversy in a town primarily made up of immigrants.
The plan sparked protests among citizens. Despite widespread public outcry, the Golden State Annex began its operations in September 2020. Now, more than five years later, opinions in McFarland remain unwavering.
The facility, located in the center of town, has become a lasting reminder of the debate that first erupted when the project was introduced.
The GEO Group has had its fair share of public opposition, especially when the Golden State Annex was first proposed. Residents of McFarland gathered at city council meetings to protest the facilities coming into their town. Protestors argued that a for-profit immigration center in a community full of immigrants was insensitive to their residents. Protests continued as the detention center moved forward with its plans.
Longtime McFarland resident Mary-Jane Ruvacalva reflected on the situation and the lasting tension it has caused within the community.
“I think it’s just so strange that a town that always boasts about its hard-working Hispanics would choose to have an operating detention center,” said Ruvacalva. “It doesn’t make sense to me that a place known for its immigrant families would support something like this.”
McFarland’s residents continue to wrestle with the notion that their small agricultural community, which has long relied on immigrant labor and celebrated its cultural diversity, is home to a detention center. After five years of the Golden State Annex’s operation, McFarland community members show no signs of changing their viewpoints.
