Inland Empire Progressive

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash Rep. Jay Obernolte lack of oversight of  ICE  detention facilities in our district threatens those facilities to become the Auschwitz of Adelanto and Dachau of Desert in California City. The reopening of California City Correctional Facility (CCCF) as an ICE detention center, operated by the private prison company CoreCivic, is a troubling development that demands oversight.  CCCF was once slated for closure as part of Governor Newsom’s broader effort to reduce California’s prison population. But with the federal government ramping up deportations under the Trump administration, the facility has been repurposed to detain immigrants—many of whom have no criminal record and are simply seeking a better life. Representative Obernolte has stated otherwise in a Facebook post when he visited the facility but provided no concrete evidence except to trust his word.   Economic gain should never come at the expense of human dignity. ...