Private Prison Contractor Handles Rape Investigations at Immigration Detention Center
San Diego County Sheriff's officials have relinquished control over investigating sexual assault allegations at the Otay Mesa immigration detention center, granting authority to civilian administrators employed by CoreCivic, the nation's largest for-profit prison contractor. This arrangement has resulted in at least seven reported rapes at the facility going uninvestigated in 2025, according to records obtained through California Public Records Act requests.
Memorandum Delegates Investigative Authority
Under a 2020 memorandum of understanding signed by former San Diego Sheriff Bill Gore, detention center Warden Christopher LaRose now possesses the authority to determine whether rape allegations at the facility warrant investigation. The Otay Mesa detention center currently houses approximately 1,500 federal immigration detainees, most of whom are awaiting hearings and have not been convicted of crimes.
Lt. David Collins, media relations director for the sheriff's department, confirmed that "the facility's Warden is responsible for investigating any allegation of sexual assault or abuse" under the memorandum. Collins referred further questions about specific incidents to CoreCivic, stating the company "did not request our involvement" for any cases in the previous year.
CoreCivic's Limited Investigation Role
CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin stated in a written response that Otay Mesa staff conduct administrative investigations of each sexual assault allegation but emphasized that the company does not perform criminal investigations because it lacks law enforcement authority. "When a matter requires law enforcement intervention, we refer it to the appropriate authorities," Gustin said.
The company manages the detention center under contract with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. CoreCivic maintains it has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse and harassment, offering reporting mechanisms through written complaints or a hotline number, along with medical and mental health support services for those making allegations.
Sheriff's Department Defends Arrangement
San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez defended the memorandum during questioning by San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, stating her department lacks sufficient staff to investigate allegations at every detention facility in the county. "There's something about an MOU that explicitly delegates to CoreCivic—" Lawson-Remer began during a recent hearing.
"Well, we could not have an MOU at all," Martinez interrupted, "and they wouldn't report to us and we wouldn't investigate. So we have to also work with the people in charge of the facility."
Martinez acknowledged concerns about the arrangement, stating, "I completely understand your concern, and that it doesn't look like it's an appropriate way to investigate these complaints but I really don't know how many are occurring."
911 Call Data Reveals Pattern
Records obtained by CalMatters show 142 calls for service to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department from the Otay Mesa Detention Center in 2024, with fourteen identified as related to the Prison Rape Elimination Act. In 2025, there were 159 calls for service, including twenty-one PREA-related calls, seven of which involved rape allegations.
The sheriff's department refused to release additional records about these incidents, including audio recordings of 911 calls and full dispatch logs, claiming they constituted "records of a law enforcement investigation" exempt from disclosure. The available records provided no indication whether victims were detainees or employees, nor did they identify perpetrators.
Legal and Advocacy Concerns
Susan Beaty, senior attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, expressed alarm at the findings. "We're horrified but not surprised to learn that numerous sexual assaults went uninvestigated at a CoreCivic facility," Beaty said. "Local and state enforcement agencies have a responsibility to use their power to protect the rights of Californians in detention."
San Diego County is currently engaged in separate litigation with CoreCivic over the Otay Mesa Detention Center, alleging the Trump administration and the Tennessee-based company illegally blocked a public health inspection of the facility earlier this month.
Despite these concerns, a 2022 audit conducted by outside company Creative Corrections found the facility met all federal standards for preventing sexual assaults. The memorandum of understanding between the sheriff's department and CoreCivic requires that if deputies had investigated any cases, they would need to forward their findings to CoreCivic for retention as part of the facility's record-keeping requirements.
