Otay Mesa Detention Center

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

Facility quick reference

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.

To ask whether someone is held here, and to leave an urgent message for a detainee, ICE publishes one number: (619) 671-8700. ICE lists that line as answered Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For an urgent message, 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 detainee is given the message. 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). ICE says the facility has tablets, and that information on sending a detainee a non-confidential message is at gettingout.com.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility (last updated 08/06/2026, checked October 3, 2026) says: “Currently there are no contact or social video visit for family & friends due to the pandemic.” The video-visitation schedule (seven days a week, by housing unit) and the Saturday and Sunday contact-visit schedule (ICE detainees only, by housing unit) shown below that sentence are labeled pre-pandemic hours, so we do not reproduce them here as current. As of October 3, 2026, the page does not say when family visits will resume.

ICE’s general visiting restrictions for this facility say all family and other social visits are non-contact, that visitors may not carry any items into the visitation area or pass anything to a detainee, and that visitors who are or appear intoxicated are 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. No firearms or weapons of any kind anywhere in the facility, and no electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios) in the 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” and that detainees may seal their own outgoing letters. ICE’s detention standards allow more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E) — and under the PBNDS 2011 mail section (5.1) that ICE’s inspectors say governs this facility (see the inspection record below) — 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); under the PBNDS 2011 that governs this facility, the envelope must also 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

• Letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number, plus the sender’s name and address. Outgoing mail is routed to the post office within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff, and a mail pick-up and delivery schedule is posted in the housing units.
• Money: as of October 3, 2026, ICE’s page for this facility names no deposit service, vendor or kiosk. It says funds received in the mail are taken to the processing area to be placed on the account, with a receipt from the processing officer, and that detainees are cautioned not to have cash sent to them in the mail. The page does not say who a money order should be made payable to.
• Packages: ICE limits them to items needed solely for travel or release from custody, with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval. Before a package is sent, the detainee must submit a Package Authorization Form to OMDC CoreCivic’s Unit Management, and the form must be approved by ICE.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them; indigent detainees (no means of support and no funds in their facility account) 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; if the person has none, luggage can be sent or delivered after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. No electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, laptops, radios) are accepted.

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

EOIR’s Otay Mesa Immigration Court page lists 619-661-5600 for calls to the court and OtayMesa.Immigration.Court@usdoj.gov for general inquiries (checked October 24, 2026).

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.

Legal visits, video calls and legal documents

ICE’s page for this facility publishes these channels for legal representatives (checked October 3, 2026):

• G-28s can be submitted through ICE’s online platform ERO eFile, and ICE also says attorneys can submit a G-28 to OMDC-G28@ice.dhs.gov. This mailbox does not accept applications for Stay of Removal or Case Appeals. 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.
• Deportation Officers and case information: ICE says Deportation Officers can be reached at the Otay Mesa Detention Center duty line, (619) 661-3823, which is also the number for learning who a client’s Deportation Officer is (a G-28 must be on file before any information is disclosed). ICE states that OMDC does not have an email address to request case information.
• Video meetings and confidential legal calls are requested through ERO eFile for all scheduled appointments. ICE lists availability Monday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with specific availability depending on the detainee’s sex and classification. The representative enters a Zoom or Teams link, meeting ID and passcode; for a phone call only, ICE says to note that and call (619) 671-8700 ext. 18836 at the scheduled day and time. Appointments can be made up to 2 weeks ahead but no later than 24 hours before, in 60-minute slots, and no representative or paralegal may have more than one 60-minute appointment with a detainee in a single day. ICE requires uploads of the representative’s government-issued ID, proof of active legal-representative status (such as a bar card) and the ERO-eFiled G-28 (unless the visit is pre-representational). If a legal assistant is the only legal representative joining the call, the email should also include a letter of authorization on the firm’s/organization’s letterhead and a scan of the assistant’s identification. If no time slot is available or there is an exigent circumstance, ICE lists OMDCLegalVisit@corecivic.com.
• Legal documents by email: when timely communication through the mail is not possible, the facility administrator may, at his discretion, allow a reasonable amount of electronic written communication between the detainee and their designated legal representative. For this route, representatives can send legal correspondence to OMDCLegalVisit@corecivic.com, marking it as legal correspondence in the subject line and attaching a cover sheet with the detainee’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number, the total pages, and the notation “Legal Mail”. ICE says the documents are inspected for contraband but not read, and are delivered to the detainee; requests are processed daily from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., excluding holidays.

Free legal providers on EOIR’s list for the Otay Mesa Immigration Court

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, but EOIR’s Otay Mesa Immigration Court is at 7488 Calzada de la Fuente — the facility’s own address — and EOIR says it is located in a DHS-controlled detention facility, pointing visitors to the Otay Mesa Detention Center’s website for entry rules. The court that actually hears a given case may still be a different one; confirm it from the A-number through EOIR’s hotline at 1-800-898-7180. On the October 2026 edition of EOIR’s List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers, the entries under Otay Mesa Immigration Court are:

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 Diego 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 the service provided, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 880 Front Street #2242, San Diego, CA 92101.
• 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: DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 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 Diego 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

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected this facility on February 24–26, 2026 (ODO report, Inspection 2026-001-059). What the report says:

• Who runs it: the facility opened in 2015 and is owned and operated by CoreCivic, under ERO San Diego. It is a dedicated ICE detention facility operating under the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 (Revised 2016), and it holds male and female detainees of low, medium-low, medium-high and high security classification for periods longer than 72 hours.
• Staffing and services: ERO deportation officers, supervisory detention and deportation officers, a detention services manager and an assistant field office director are assigned full time, on site Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trinity Services provides food service, CoreCivic provides medical care, and Keefe Supply Company provides commissary. The facility was accredited by the American Correctional Association in January 2025 and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care in August 2025, and was DHS PREA certified after a June 2025 audit.
• Findings: compliant with 27 of 29 standards reviewed; 2 deficiencies, none of them priority components:
  • Medical Care: in records ODO reviewed (the counts are redacted), medical staff did not obtain a separate, documented informed-consent form describing the medication’s side effects before giving psychotropic medication.
  • Significant Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention: in suicide-watch logs for detainees on continuous one-on-one monitoring, 3 instances where clinical staff conducted welfare checks 10 to 13 hours after the previous one, against a requirement of at least every 8 hours. ODO marks this as a repeat deficiency.
• Detainee interviews: ODO interviewed 42 detainees; none alleged discrimination, mistreatment or abuse, and all reported satisfaction with facility services.
• Rating: Good. At the previous inspection, in November 2024, ODO reviewed 25 standards, found 2 deficiencies and rated the facility Superior. ODO says compliance “remained consistent” and that the corrective action plan from that inspection may not have been effective.

ODO redacts bed-capacity and population counts in the published report; for population, see the ICE statistics box above. ICE lists every posted report on its ODO facility inspections page.

Earlier inspections

• February 25–27, 2020: ODO reviewed 18 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), found compliance with 11, and identified nine deficiencies in the remaining seven standards. Source.
• November 2–6, 2020: ODO reviewed 21 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), found compliance with 17, and identified eight deficiencies in the remaining four standards. Source.
• May 3–5, 2022 (follow-up compliance inspection): ODO reviewed 18 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), found compliance with 14, and identified 5 deficiencies in the remaining 4 standards. Source.
• April 25–27, 2023 (follow-up compliance inspection): ODO reviewed 18 standards under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), found compliance with 15, and identified three deficiencies in the remaining three standards. Source.
• October 31–November 2, 2023: ODO made an unannounced compliance inspection. Source.

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 Diego Field Office
• How to send money to someone in ICE detention