Otay Mesa Detention Center
 Interactive map of Otay Mesa Detention Center | |
| Location | Otay Mesa, San Diego, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°35′31″N 116°55′21″W / 32.59189°N 116.92252°W |
| Security class | Minimum/medium |
| Capacity | 1040 |
| Managed by | CoreCivic |
| Director | Fred Lawrence |
Otay Mesa Detention Center is a minimum/medium security federal prison for women, managed by CoreCivic[1] under contract with the United States Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[2] The facility is situated in the San Ysidro Mountains foothills of Otay Mesa overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border.[3]
The Otay Mesa site is shared with some other properties related to law enforcement:[3]
- Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
- George Bailey Detention Facility (San Diego County)
- East Mesa Reentry Facility (San Diego County)
- Facility 8 Detention Facility (San Diego County)
- East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility (San Diego County)
- A multi-jurisdictional law enforcement firearms training complex used by the FBI, the Customs Service, and local police forces
In popular culture
In the 2025 film One Battle After Another, a far-left revolutionary group breaks immigrants out of the center. The scene was filmed at the center itself, and to do so, the filmmakers received approval from the city of Otay Mesa, the San Diego County government, U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security, California Highway Patrol, and Caltrans.[4]
References
- ^ Castillo, Andrea (2019-12-24). "ICE signs contracts extending private immigrant detention centers ahead of California ban". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
- ^ "San Diego Correctional Facility". CCA, Inc. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013.
- ^ a b "Otay Mesa Prison Area, California". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- ^ "We Traveled the Real California That 'One Battle After Another' Imagined". The New York Times. 2025-10-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
