An immigrant detainee died Saturday morning at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, according to the private prison company that operates the facility. A staff member at the facility discovered an unresponsive person in their assigned living area and called in a medical emergency at approximately 11:36 a.m. Saturday.
On-site medical staff responded quickly to the scene, initiated lifesaving measures, and contacted emergency medical services. EMS personnel arrived and continued resuscitation efforts, but the individual was ultimately pronounced dead at the facility.
A spokesperson for CoreCivic, the Tennessee-based private prison company operating the facility, confirmed the death in an emailed statement, expressing sadness over the loss and stating that Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified immediately. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment regarding the incident. CoreCivic did not release information concerning the identity of the deceased individual.
San Diego County Supervisor Paloma Aguirre issued a statement calling on ICE and CoreCivic to contact the person’s family promptly, cooperate fully with a comprehensive investigation, and publicly share its findings. Aguirre also stated she asked the county public health officer to evaluate potential follow-up actions under a state law that permits local public health authorities to inspect ICE facilities.
The incident marks the seventh death of a detainee in ICE custody in California during the current administration and the first fatality recorded at the Otay Mesa facility since 2023. Nationally, deaths in custody have risen amid increased detention figures, with the nationwide detained population previously exceeding 70,000 individuals.
The fatality follows the reported suicide of 48-year-old Luis Sandoval, a Salvadoran immigrant who died at the Folkston D. Ray ICE Processing Center in Georgia. Federal policy mandates that ICE notify the public and Congress within two business days following a detainee’s death, and release more extensive reports within 90 days, though those reports have recently been scaled down to a few paragraphs.
