Largest ICE detention center in California violated order to provide adequate medical care: Monitor
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A court-appointed monitor on Monday found that California’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center violated a court order to provide adequate medical care to detained migrants and neglected their medical needs.
Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar in his report wrote that the California City Immigration Processing Center, about 75 miles east of Bakersfield, did “not appear to have adequate staffing, stable on-site management, sufficient clinical and operational oversight, or an effective quality assurance process to identify and promptly address care-related problems.”
He also noted that the staff did not receive proper training and were “pulled from orientation before completing it … because of staffing shortages.”
“Given the number of patients and the seriousness of their medical and mental health needs, these substantial gaps contribute to an unsafe environment,” Anandkumar continued in his report provided by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Anandkumar fulfilled his report as a neutral party and is not affiliated with the ACLU.
The monitor determined that the facility did not have a “reliable system” to frequently provide healthcare to migrants, which placed them “at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm.”
The report was based on 40 patients, dozens of staff and reviews of 141 patient medical records and documentation provided by ICE amid a three-day inspection. Documentation was also provided by CoreCivic, the private prison company that runs the detention center.
U.S. District Court Judge Maxine M. Chesney appointed Anandkumar in March. Chesney also mapped out eight prerequisites for a functional healthcare system, including having timely and responsive emergency services or adequate hospital staffing.
Anandkumar evaluated that the detention center did not comply with these eight prerequisites. He wrote that metrics reported by facility staff will help to identify any breakdowns and take corrective action.
“Because the facility uses an electronic medical record system, developing reports to track these metrics should be feasible and should allow leadership to monitor performance more effectively and reduce the risk of patient harm,” he added. “Although the facility reports monitoring these indicators daily and weekly, it remains unclear why gaps in care persist and how identified issues are escalated, addressed and resolved.”
The Hill has reached out to CoreCivic for comment.
A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that no detainees are denied access to medical care and that ICE “is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance-based national detention standards.”
“When specialty or advanced care is required beyond the services available onsite, facility healthcare staff coordinate with community physicians, hospitals, and specialty providers to facilitate access to medically necessary treatment,” CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin told CalMatters. “While we work diligently to arrange and support those appointments, the scheduling, availability, and capacity of outside providers are not controlled by the facility.”
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A court-appointed monitor on Monday found that California's largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center violated a court order to provide adequate medical…
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A court-appointed monitor on Monday found that California’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center violated a court order to provide adequate medical care to detained migrants and neglected their medical needs.
Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar in his report wrote that the California City Immigration Processing Center, about 75 miles east of Bakersfield, did “not appear to have adequate staffing, stable on-site management, sufficient clinical and operational oversight, or an effective quality assurance process to identify and promptly address care-related problems.”
He also noted that the staff did not receive proper training and were “pulled from orientation before completing it … because of staffing shortages.”
“Given the number of patients and the seriousness of their medical and mental health needs, these substantial gaps contribute to an unsafe environment,” Anandkumar continued in his report provided by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Anandkumar fulfilled his report as a neutral party and is not affiliated with the ACLU.
The monitor determined that the facility did not have a “reliable system” to frequently provide healthcare to migrants, which placed them “at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm.”
The report was based on 40 patients, dozens of staff and reviews of 141 patient medical records and documentation provided by ICE amid a three-day inspection. Documentation was also provided by CoreCivic, the private prison company that runs the detention center.
U.S. District Court Judge Maxine M. Chesney appointed Anandkumar in March. Chesney also mapped out eight prerequisites for a functional healthcare system, including having timely and responsive emergency services or adequate hospital staffing.
Anandkumar evaluated that the detention center did not comply with these eight prerequisites. He wrote that metrics reported by facility staff will help to identify any breakdowns and take corrective action.
“Because the facility uses an electronic medical record system, developing reports to track these metrics should be feasible and should allow leadership to monitor performance more effectively and reduce the risk of patient harm,” he added. “Although the facility reports monitoring these indicators daily and weekly, it remains unclear why gaps in care persist and how identified issues are escalated, addressed and resolved.”
The Hill has reached out to CoreCivic for comment.
A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that no detainees are denied access to medical care and that ICE “is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance-based national detention standards.”
“When specialty or advanced care is required beyond the services available onsite, facility healthcare staff coordinate with community physicians, hospitals, and specialty providers to facilitate access to medically necessary treatment,” CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin told CalMatters. “While we work diligently to arrange and support those appointments, the scheduling, availability, and capacity of outside providers are not controlled by the facility.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
Skip to content
A court-appointed monitor on Monday found that California’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center violated a court order to provide adequate medical care to detained migrants and neglected their medical needs.
Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar in his report wrote that the California City Immigration Processing Center, about 75 miles east of Bakersfield, did “not appear to have adequate staffing, stable on-site management, sufficient clinical and operational oversight, or an effective quality assurance process to identify and promptly address care-related problems.”
He also noted that the staff did not receive proper training and were “pulled from orientation before completing it … because of staffing shortages.”
“Given the number of patients and the seriousness of their medical and mental health needs, these substantial gaps contribute to an unsafe environment,” Anandkumar continued in his report provided by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Anandkumar fulfilled his report as a neutral party and is not affiliated with the ACLU.
The monitor determined that the facility did not have a “reliable system” to frequently provide healthcare to migrants, which placed them “at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm.”
The report was based on 40 patients, dozens of staff and reviews of 141 patient medical records and documentation provided by ICE amid a three-day inspection. Documentation was also provided by CoreCivic, the private prison company that runs the detention center.
U.S. District Court Judge Maxine M. Chesney appointed Anandkumar in March. Chesney also mapped out eight prerequisites for a functional healthcare system, including having timely and responsive emergency services or adequate hospital staffing.
Anandkumar evaluated that the detention center did not comply with these eight prerequisites. He wrote that metrics reported by facility staff will help to identify any breakdowns and take corrective action.
“Because the facility uses an electronic medical record system, developing reports to track these metrics should be feasible and should allow leadership to monitor performance more effectively and reduce the risk of patient harm,” he added. “Although the facility reports monitoring these indicators daily and weekly, it remains unclear why gaps in care persist and how identified issues are escalated, addressed and resolved.”
The Hill has reached out to CoreCivic for comment.
A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that no detainees are denied access to medical care and that ICE “is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure that all ICE facilities comply with performance-based national detention standards.”
“When specialty or advanced care is required beyond the services available onsite, facility healthcare staff coordinate with community physicians, hospitals, and specialty providers to facilitate access to medically necessary treatment,” CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin told CalMatters. “While we work diligently to arrange and support those appointments, the scheduling, availability, and capacity of outside providers are not controlled by the facility.”
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- A court-appointed monitor on Monday found that California's largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center violated a court order to provide adequate medical…