CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — Community members in California City gathered outside City Hall Tuesday night to protest the planned opening of what would become California's largest migrant detention center.
Residents are calling for immediate action from local, state and federal officials to halt the private prison company CoreCivic from opening the facility.
"This is not what we need in this community. The community does not want a facility that simply cages folks because they are going through their immigration civil case," Rosa Lopez said.
Lopez, with American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, has been one of the driving forces behind the protests. She says they want transparency from city leaders and to be heard.
"We are telling the city council and the city staff that if you go into business with this evil corporation, what you're going to do is create fear," Lopez said.
Following the protest, the city planning commission meeting was canceled because one of the commissioners was having a medical emergency.
When I spoke with California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins about the public pushback, he emphasized the city's limited authority over the project.
"We have no jurisdictional authority over what CoreCivic does on their own land, in their own building, and with a contract with the federal government," Hawkins said.
Hawkins said their power is limited to building permits, licensing processes and inspections of the facility.
"If they're crossing t's, dotting i's, and have their ducks in a row, the city is not in the position to stop them from moving forward," Hawkins said.
In a previous statement CoreCivic sent regarding public concern over the facility, they said in part: "CoreCivic does not enforce immigration laws, arrest anyone who may be in violation of immigration laws, or have any say whatsoever in an individual's deportation or release. Our responsibility is to care for each person respectfully and humanely while they receive the legal due process that they are entitled to."
Hawkins tells me they do not know when the facility will become operational, and that will be negotiated between CoreCivic and the federal government.
Despite the ongoing plans, protesters remain determined.
"We will keep on coming and do whatever it takes until the city council, the mayor, the city staff, hear us," Lopez said.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
