ICE to convert shuttered California prison into state’s largest migrant detention center

A sprawling 2,560-bed facility in the high desert town of California City (Kern County) is poised to become the largest migrant detention center in California under a new agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison contractor CoreCivic.

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“Never in our 42-year company history have we had so much activity and demand for our services as we are seeing right now,” CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger said during an earnings call with shareholders last month, citing the company’s general business.

California City Mayor Marquette Hawkins acknowledged potential economic benefits, including an estimated 550 new jobs.

“However, we understand that 40% of our residents are Latino,” Hawkins told the Californian. “We want to make sure there is fairness there. We talked about oversight and my office having the ability to do that.”

Incredible.