MCFARLAND, Calif. (KERO) — A new immigration detention facility operated by The GEO Group has opened in McFarland, expanding detention capacity in Kern County and across California.
The facility, known as the Central Valley Annex, is the eighth active U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention site in California. Four of those facilities are located in Kern County.
With the addition of the annex, detention capacity in California is now approaching 10,000 beds, placing the state among the top four in the nation for active ICE detention centers, according to data from Statista. Only Texas, Florida and Louisiana have more.
The GEO Group began transferring detainees to the McFarland facility in early April, according to advocates monitoring the site.
Rosa Lopez, a policy advocate with the ACLU of Southern California, said the facility adds roughly 700 beds.
Lopez said the project stems from a 2020 proposal by GEO Group to significantly expand detention capacity in Kern County. The McFarland City Council approved the plan in a 4-0 vote, allowing the conversion of two 700-bed prison facilities into annexes supporting the Bakersfield Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center.
Since then, advocacy groups have raised concerns about conditions inside detention facilities, including access to medical care and the suitability of the buildings for long-term detention.
“We have documented concerns with treatment of people inside these facilities, the lack of medical access and serious health issues that arise when people are held in facilities not suited to house people long term,” Lopez said.
In a statement, a GEO Group spokesperson said the company provides comprehensive services at its ICE processing centers, including 24-hour access to medical care, legal and family visitation, translation services, religious accommodations and recreational opportunities.
The company also said its facilities are independently accredited by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.
Lopez said community members still have opportunities to voice concerns through local officials and planning bodies.
“Private corporations like GEO and CoreCivic take advantage of struggling communities with promises of jobs and revenue, which we haven’t seen the results of,” she said.
With the opening of the Central Valley Annex, ICE detention capacity in Kern County is now nearing 5,000 beds.
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