Trump administration purchases $1.5 bn of California detention centers

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security bought two of California’s largest immigrant detention facilities from CoreCivic in a $1.5 billion transaction. The Otay Mesa center on the California‑Mexico border was acquired for $739.2 million and can hold 1,994 detainees, while the California City center in Kern County was purchased for $732.6 million with a capacity of 2,560. CoreCivic is expected to continue operating the sites under existing ICE contracts that run through 2027‑2029 with renewal options.

The acquisitions were announced after Congress approved a massive funding package for ICE, the Border Patrol and other immigration agencies. The facilities have been under public scrutiny, with 52 deaths recorded among ICE‑detained migrants in the first half of the year and an investigative report finding that 15 of the 45 ICE centers housing 500 or more people had not been inspected in the prior year.

In parallel, DHS issued a market‑study request for a government‑run airline fleet designed chiefly for deportations and related missions. The proposed fleet would include seven Boeing 737‑700s and two executive‑type aircraft comparable to the Gulfstream G650ER, operating 24‑hour, on‑demand flights for deportations, voluntary repatriations, medical evacuations and transport of senior officials. The initiative is part of the Trump administration’s goal of reaching one million deportations annually, although ICE reported just over 550,000 removals between January 2025 and April 2026.