An Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center is resuming operation after being nearly vacant for the last five years. A federal judge lifted a court order allowing the California facility to resume intake.
The Adelanto ICE Processing Center is about 80 miles from Los Angeles. Officials said it was on the verge of closing as ICE awaited a court ruling.
The facility is run by The GEO Group in partnership with ICE. Whether it was in use or not, the center has cost taxpayers millions of dollars to keep open.
What caused the center to shut down?
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the facility experienced an outbreak of its own, reducing its population to just two detainees after a judge ordered the release following a lawsuit.
For years, the center was prohibited from adding detainees through intake or transfers. However, the recent court ruling allows the facility to increase its capacity to nearly 500 detainees.
Who wants the facility shut down?
An attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California said the pandemic-era ban was only meant to be temporary. However, she argues that the history of abuse against detainees at Adelanto should justify a permanent closure.
Last year, dozens of California lawmakers, including Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., and advocates called on the Department of Homeland Security to permanently close the center. They said the facility provided inadequate medical care and food. They also claimed staff ignored ongoing reports of abuse.
Who wants to keep the facility open?
On the other side, a state representative argued reopening Adelanto is long overdue, allowing the detention of immigrants awaiting court hearings.
As ICE raids continue across the country, concerns over the safety of immigrants held at Adelanto are resurfacing, especially now that the facility can increase its capacity.
The court’s decision, however, is independent of the Trump administration’s efforts to remove immigrants illegally in the country.
ICE has continued to work with The Geo Group to expand its contract to keep the facility open. ICE officials said keeping the facility open is part of efforts to “optimize enforcement resources.”
Advocates and ICE officials said they are working toward a settlement in the ongoing lawsuit. A final decision isn’t expected until spring when a judge will determine whether the ban on adding more detainees can be lifted.