“We were ‘accidentally pepper-sprayed’ and left inside the tank with the door closed. We weren’t checked by the nurse until we left 2 hrs later.”
These are the words of a man named Ever, who was detained at the Core Civic detention center in California City before being deported to Honduras. Once in Honduras, Ever wrote a letter detailing his experience being deported. He had been in America for 30 years, and according to his letter, 20 of them were spent deprived of his freedom.
At 3 a.m. on November 20, he was ordered to pack his belongings and placed in a holding tank where he and other detainees were pepper-sprayed before later being shackled at their wrists and ankles to board a bus that took them to the Edwards Air Force Base before being placed on a plane.
“There, the treatment was inhumane. Most of the staff were rude and yelled with heavy racial undertones. Once the plane was in the air, they rushed us to use the restroom, although they were very hesitant to take any handcuffs off,” wrote Ever.
The plane went to Denver, Colorado, to pick up more passengers, filling the plane to capacity, before taking them to El Paso, Texas, and loading them onto a jail bus.
“[The bus] had a restroom that had a heavy stench of body excrement. 2 hrs later, we were glad that we were finally boarded onto another plane,” said Ever.
This plane took them to Louisiana, where they were placed in the Alexandria Staging Facility.
“Only the handcuffs from our wrists were taken off to use the restroom. The facility was unsanitary, the restroom did not contain soap or hand sanitizer,” said Ever.
From the Alexandria Staging Facility, they were taken an hour away to the Winn Correctional Facility. At the facility, they were given their personal items back; however, many of them were missing things, such as money and phones, or more sentimental items like family photos. Instead, they were given a receipt that stated they didn’t receive their items.
“I am not sure if I will be able to recover the property, which included family pictures. Sadly, this is the reality of the injustices that the government is subjecting all immigrants to right now. ICE has refused to reply to a complaint and an email about my missing property,” said Ever.
Eddy Laine is a volunteer with Kern Welcoming and Extending Solidarity to Immigrants (KWESI), who visits ICE detention centers, speaks with detainees, writes them letters, and does what he can to advocate on their behalf.
He spoke about the conditions he has both seen and heard about within the Core Civic detention center. Laine stated that while Mesa Verde in Bakersfield has its own issues, he believes Core Civic is even worse.
“The conditions out there are inhumane. The contrast between what we see here, and there are issues here, serious issues, are dramatic,” said Laine.
Laine and other volunteers with KWESI have asked the Kern County Board of Supervisors to visit the center, and have asked the Kern County Health Department Director to meet with them about the center. Neither has answered the requests.
“We’ve been stonewalled by Kern County, and this is in Kern County. This is a Kern County responsibility to care for the health and welfare of people,” said Laine.
Next, they decided to go to the state and wrote a letter to Attorney General Rob Bonta and Dr. Erica Pan, the State Public Health Officer with the California Department of Health. In the letter, they told the story of a man who, as of November 10, had been struggling with a hernia that “budges out and is the size of a tennis ball,” who was waiting for a specialist at the Golden State Annex before being transferred to Core Civic and having to restart the process. Two months later, he has yet to receive treatment or know when he can have surgery.
“He uses a wheelchair because it is too painful to walk. He is in constant pain, and I could visibly see his suffering during our visit. He reported that pain medication does not help. Also, he reported that the facility is freezing (which I experienced myself during our visit). He tries to sleep, but the pain and cold environment keeps him from sleeping. He said the blankets are like “nets” (thin and not warm),” said the KWESI volunteer in the letter recounting a visit on November 10.
The letter calls for five conditions to happen:
- Health inspectors to investigate the center within 30 days of receiving the letter.
- Bonta to review all aspects of the state-required permitting process that California City and/or Kern County participated in regarding the center and provide evidence of doing so.
- A 180-day comment period, along with the two public meetings required by Senate Bill 29, “use an existing facility for ICE detention center purposes,” which the California City Mayor admitted did not happen, according to the letter.
- Bonta to require evidence that all requirements for the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) are in order.
- Full closure of the facility if it is not in compliance with California law.
Laine stated that they have not heard back from the state as of December 4, 2025. To city, county, and state officials, Laine urges them to visit the center.
Recalling what detainees have told him about their experience at Core Civic versus Mesa Verde and Golden State Annex, Laine stated they do not have enough food, they are not receiving their medications, and additional environmental issues as well.
“He said in his cell, when it rains, it has rained out there a couple of times, water comes up through the cement floor in his cell. Before, when there were bigger rainstorms, other guys were told they had to use towels to clean up the water that was leaking,” said Laine.
They also only get two hours a week in the yard, which is only gravel, while wearing thin shoes, creating even more discomfort for the detainees, and they do not have a water fountain when they are outside, either, according to Laine.
Volunteers have been to both the California City Council and Kern County Board of Supervisors, and Laine says they are not paying attention, making it hard for community members to do anything to help the people within the center. He said one thing people can do is write letters; however, they can’t send photos to Core Civic detainees. Photos and inspirational cards that have been sent to them were sent back to the sender.
“Wouldn’t you rather receive a nice picture of something?” said Liane.
To visit, Laine stated people have to call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to set an appointment, adding a barrier to visiting because it’s hard to get in, and the facility decides when the appointment is. There are also 18 setups to be able to hold visits within the room; however, only five visits can take place at a time.
He explained that they want to know why because it’s not an ICE rule, but specific to Core Civic. This prohibits many people from being able to visit their families.
One other difference between the centers that Laine added is that at Mesa Verde, they are in dorms, compared to Core Civic, which was built as a prison, so they are in cells.
“That’s not a detention center, it’s a prison. Let’s be clear about that,” said Laine.
