California City Detention Facility

California City Detention Facility is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in California City, California. It falls under the San Francisco Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

CoreCivic’s facility information (checked October 17, 2026):

• History: CoreCivic says its California City facility began operating as a detention facility in 1999 and previously housed detainees for ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).
• Management and security: its facility listing identifies CoreCivic as the manager and gives the facility type as “Multi-Level Security.”

How to locate or contact a detainee

To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. You will need the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

ICE publishes two different numbers for this facility. To ask whether someone is held here, call (760) 491-8104; ICE lists that line as answered between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. To leave an urgent message for a detainee, call (760) 491-8150 and leave the detainee’s full name and alien registration number (A-number), plus your own name and a phone number where you can be reached; the facility passes the message on. The general facility line (760) 491-8100 is for other questions. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (first, last and hyphenated names, any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth). This facility has tablets; ICE points to www.gettingout.com for instructions on sending a non-confidential message.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility (last updated 08/06/2026, checked October 3, 2026) publishes these rules for friends and family:

• Book first: call (760) 491-8126 to schedule a visit.
• How much time: each detainee receives two one-hour blocks of visiting time per week, and each visit counts as one hour, whatever its length.
• ID: visitors must have a government-issued photo ID with them.
• Minors: a visitor coming alone must be at least 18. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and proof of the relationship is required — ICE gives a birth certificate or a court-ordered guardianship as examples.
• Non-contact: all family and social visits are non-contact. Visitors may not pass anything to a detainee or carry any items into the visitation area, and anyone who is or appears intoxicated is turned away.

Everyone entering the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan; anyone who refuses a reasonable search is not admitted, and no electronic devices are allowed in secure areas. ICE lists free public parking at the facility.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

Letters and packages sent to a detainee must identify the detainee and show the sender’s name and return address (this facility’s own format is below) — and each facility publishes its own exact format: some also require a housing-unit number, and facilities run by the federal Bureau of Prisons use the BOP register number instead. ICE lists each facility’s format on that facility’s page at ice.gov. This facility’s own ICE page says incoming mail “is not read upon opening, only inspected by the delivering officer”. ICE’s national standard allows more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E), incoming general mail is opened and inspected for contraband, and outgoing general mail may be inspected and read if it is addressed to another detainee or staff have reason to believe it threatens the facility’s security or order, endangers someone, or could facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, courts and judges, government attorneys, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President of the United States, members of Congress, the Department of Justice (including the immigration courts), DHS (including ICE/ERO, IHSC, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), grievance administrators, and the news media — may not be read or copied by staff. Incoming special correspondence is inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; outgoing special correspondence is not opened, inspected or read, and if a need exists, any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence. The standard limits any inspection to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence. Mail counts as special correspondence only if the envelope unambiguously identifies the title and office of the sender (incoming mail) or of the addressee (outgoing mail); PBNDS 2011 also requires the envelope to be labeled “special correspondence” or “legal mail.” Rules for commissary (account) deposits and permitted personal items vary by facility, and so does the number that handles them — ICE names a separate facility mail clerk on some facility pages. This facility’s deposit route, accepted form of payment and contacts are in the Sending Items to Detainees section of its own ICE page (linked above).

What ICE publishes for this facility’s mail, money, and packages

• Mailing address: ICE says to address mail to the detainee’s name and A-number, then P.O. Box 2513, California City, CA 93505. Letters must also carry the last four digits of the A-number (File Number) and the sender’s name and address. Outgoing mail is routed to the post office within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff.
• What the facility will not accept by mail: packages, obscene or pornographic material, plans for criminal activity, personal checks, cashier’s checks, postage stamps or stamped envelopes, any type of food, and periodicals not sent directly by the publisher.
• Money: ICE says money is not to be given directly to the detainee and lists four ways to place it on the account: Western Union, ViaPath (the “Core Civic Cal City Immigration Processing Center” listing on ConnectNetwork), a facility lockbox, and a money order sent via the U.S. Postal Service that references the detainee’s name and A-number, mailed to P.O. Box 2513, California City, CA 93505. Funds that arrive in the mail are put on the account and receipted, and ICE cautions detainees not to have cash sent. The table below shows what the vendor documents linked from ICE’s page say.
• Packages: limited to items needed solely for travel or release from custody, with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval; ICE says to contact ICE at (661) 281-6515 before sending one.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them; indigent detainees get a postage allowance at government expense.
• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded; general correspondence is returned to sender.
• Luggage for removal: one small piece is allowed; otherwise luggage can be sent after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. No electronic devices are accepted.
• Which mail standard: ICE’s page for this facility does not say which detention standard governs mail here, and ICE has posted no inspection report for it (see below). The page cites the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 only for certain legal-visit requests. For comparison, that standard’s Correspondence and Other Mail section (5.1) sets the same kind of limits as the NDS 2019 rule above: incoming general correspondence may be read to the extent necessary to maintain security, outgoing general mail may be inspected or read if addressed to another detainee or if there is evidence of a threat, and staff may neither read nor copy legal mail.

The Western Union flyer says only that the commissary number is the person’s unique ID — depending on the facility, a commissary number or an inmate number assigned after arrival. Neither it nor ICE’s page explains how a family member gets that number; ask the facility. For how deposit routes differ from facility to facility, see how to send money to someone in ICE detention.

Legal access, attorneys, and immigration court information

Detainees have the right to speak with an attorney, and attorney–client visits and calls are confidential. For information about a case before the immigration court (EOIR), EOIR’s automated line 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, English and Spanish) gives the next hearing date and case status; callers enter the 9 digits of the A-number, without the letter A (EOIR, checked October 24, 2026). For a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the main line of EOIR (the Justice Department agency the BIA belongs to) is (703) 305-0289. Applications for relief from removal must be filed directly with the immigration court handling the case. If you cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers — see the related resources below.

Case information, the deportation officer, and G-28s

• Case-information requests for people held at this facility go to SanFrancisco.Outreach@ICE.DHS.GOV. ICE notes this mailbox does not accept applications for a stay of removal or case appeals.
• To learn who the client’s Deportation Officer is, ICE says to ask the San Francisco Field Office through the same mailbox; a G-28 must be on file before anything is disclosed.
• G-28s can be submitted through ICE’s online platform ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so representatives should bring a downloaded copy of the submitted G-28 to any in-person or remote legal visit.

Booking legal visits through ERO eFile

In-person legal visits can be scheduled in advance through ERO eFile on a first-come basis, in 3-hour increments. Contact visits are permitted unless restricted on documented security grounds. Without prior facility approval, a representative may schedule only one appointment per client per day, and only one detainee at a time is allowed in the room. Only legal representatives, legal assistants and interpreters may attend; sessions are confidential, with an officer outside earshot but within sight who knocks 5 minutes before the end.

Video and confidential phone legal visits must be requested through ERO eFile for every scheduled appointment (ICE VAV flyer):

• Hours: subject to availability, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Sunday; available slots vary with the client’s sex and classification.
• Booking window: up to 2 weeks in advance and no later than 24 hours before the appointment, first-come. Since July 22, 2026, appointments run in 30-minute blocks, and consecutive slots can be booked as one appointment of 30, 60 or 90 minutes. There is no cap on requests, but no more than one booking with the same detainee per day without prior facility approval. If scheduled appointments are no longer required, legal representatives must cancel or reschedule the appointment in advance.
• What to enter: the representative’s full name and contact information, the detainee’s name (one detainee per appointment) and A-number, and in the Virtual Meeting Information field the Zoom meeting ID, passcode and link — or, for a phone call only, the number the facility should call. Interpreters may join remotely.
• Required uploads: a scan of the representative’s government-issued ID; a scan of a bar card, attorney or paralegal license or similar proof of active legal status; and the ERO eFile G-28 (not required for a pre-representational visit). If a legal assistant is the only one joining, add an authorization letter on letterhead and the assistant’s ID. Appointments missing these may be cancelled. For a medical or mental-health evaluator request under the PBNDS 2011 sections ICE cites, the written request and the evaluator’s licensure or CV are uploaded in the fields ICE names.
• Exceptions: if no slot is available, a longer session is needed, or there is an exigent circumstance, ICE lists CalCityAttorneySchedule@corecivic.com or (760) 491-8123. The facility may cancel or reschedule for safety or security reasons or to keep access fair for other representatives. Recording any visit or call is prohibited.

Emailing legal documents to a detainee

When timely communication by mail is not possible, the facility administrator may allow a reasonable amount of electronic written communication. Legal representatives can email legal correspondence to calcitylegaldoc@corecivic.com, making clear in the subject line that it is legal correspondence or mail and attaching the documents to be delivered, with a cover sheet giving the detainee’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number, the total number of pages, and a note that the correspondence is “Legal Mail”. Documents are inspected for contraband but not read, and requests are processed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

Free legal providers

ICE says a list of pro bono (free) legal organizations, updated quarterly, is posted in the housing units, and that it is the detainee’s own responsibility to contact a provider for an appointment. ICE’s facility page does not name the immigration court that hears the cases of people held here, and the October 2026 edition of EOIR’s List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers has no court entry named for California City. Confirm the court from the A-number through EOIR’s hotline at 1-800-898-7180, then look up that court’s providers on EOIR’s list. EOIR states that it does not endorse any of the organizations, referral services, or attorneys on its list.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

To report a concern about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee, contact the ERO San Francisco Field Office that oversees this facility, or file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). On its own Make a Civil Rights Complaint page DHS publishes one channel — the online portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint; CBP additionally publishes, for the same office, the e-mail address CRCL@dhs.gov, fax (202) 401-4708, and the postal address DHS/CRCL, Compliance Branch, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, DC 20528-0190. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline is 1-800-323-8603.

This facility’s own ICE page adds these channels:

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 630 Sansome Street, Rm 590, San Francisco, CA 94111.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street, SW, Suite 1049, Mailstop 5099, Washington, DC 20536-5005.
• ICE OPR Integrity Coordination Center: 1-833-4ICE-OPR or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov.
• DHS OIG in writing: 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, D.C. 20528 · fax (202) 245-5217 · DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here must apply in writing to the San Francisco Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. ICE says a detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission.

ICE inspection record

As of October 3, 2026, ICE’s ODO facility inspections page — where ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight posts its inspection reports by year and facility — lists no report for California City Detention Facility.

287(g) agreements: ICE's 287(g) participating-agencies workbook, dated October 9, 2026, lists no agency in California. (source: ICE · what 287(g) is)

Related procedural resources

• Know Your Rights — what to do if ICE detains you
• EOIR immigration court schedules and procedures
• BIA-recognized legal-aid organizations in California
• Other ICE detention facilities in California
• All facilities under the San Francisco Field Office
• How to send money to someone in ICE detention