FRESNO, Calif. — ICE is “unnecessarily” placing dozens of immigrants detained at its largest California facility in criminal prison-like solitary confinement, according to observations from a disability rights watchdog group that toured the civil detention center.

The findings from Disability Rights California’s report, published Monday, contradict denials from the California City detention center’s private operator, CoreCivic, that immigrants are being held in solitary confinement.

Representatives of the watchdog group who inspected the sprawling facility in the middle of the remote Kern County desert in late September observed 27 detainees had been confined in “highly restrictive” units “nearly every hour of the day.”

Some migrants told the group they had been placed in solitary confinement in retaliation for requesting medical care. Others said facility staff gave them no reason for their solitary confinement placement or when they would be released from isolation.

“Based on the conditions DRC observed, its interviews with leadership and individuals held at California City, and reviews of related information, DRC finds that ICE and CoreCivic are subjecting people with disabilities to abuse and neglect,” the report said.

The report offers a rare, third-party look inside the conditions at the 2,560-bed ICE facility. Its firsthand observations corroborate reporting in a Sept. 22 Bee story, in which two detained migrants told the newspaper they’d been placed in solitary in retaliation for protesting facility conditions.

CoreCivic said in a statement that the report’s findings are “not true.”

“The safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care is our top priority. We take seriously our responsibility to adhere to all applicable federal detention standards in our ICE-contracted facilities,” CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd said in an email.

The CoreCivic response said that “solitary confinement, whether as a term or in practice, does not exist at CCCF (California City Correctional Facility) or any facility that CoreCivic operates,” reiterating a statement issued in September. The facility’s operator has said staff conduct routine inspections to ensure humane living conditions.

ICE did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Disability Rights California serves as the designated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities in California. Federal and state laws give the group the authority to monitor facilities that provide care to individuals with disabilities.

“The conditions at California City add to mounting evidence that the current system of detention is dangerous and inadequate for all people, especially those with disabilities,” the report said.

Immigrant rights groups have warned that the rapid pace of opening and populating detention centers nationwide risks the lives of detained individuals. As of Oct. 23, at least 20 people have died in ICE custody, the most since 2005, NPR reported. Experts say the death toll could climb next year due to an increased detention population, decreased oversight and more community arrests.

Disability Rights California inspected the California City ICE detention facility between September 22-23, and interviewed CoreCivic staff, ICE officials, California City staff, as well as 17 migrants detained at the facility.

Conditions at the facility, and its swift reopening in late August, have faced mounting scrutiny in recent months.

Immigrants rights advocates filed a complaint in mid-September against CoreCivic and California City, alleging the facility opened in violation of city and state law. The lawsuit asks a federal district judge to halt the expansion of the facility’s detainee population via temporary restraining order.

Lawyers for CoreCivic said in court filings that the company will face “significant financial losses” if the court prevents it from accepting any new ICE intakes at the facility.

Report says ICE facility isn’t providing adequate food, health care

The watchdog group’s report found the California City ICE detention center has failed to provide detainees access to critical medical and mental health care, and isn’t supplying them with adequate food and clothing.

Todd said any claims about food quality issues, water quality and the provision of basic needs such as clothing and toiletries are false.

Three nutritious meals are provided per day, he said. And the facility secures the same drinking water the local utility supplies to the surrounding community. Clothing, bedding, and other toiletries like soap are provided to all detainees at upon arrival. Staff reissues supplies as needed and at no cost to the detainee, CoreCivic said.

“Any claim otherwise is patently false,” Todd said.

Access to timely, adequate medical care and medication management is a major issue at the facility, according to the report.

“Although facility staff told DRC that they take measures to meet the healthcare needs of detainees, nearly every detained individual DRC interviewed reported significant disability related concerns, including issues accessing medical care,” the report said.

One detained person said he needed to take medication three times a day to manage his seizures.

“At California City, he was forced to go without medication for days at a time,” the report said.

Multiple individuals reported extreme delays to critical surgeries as a result of their abrupt transfers to California City from other facilities.

Another detained migrant reported that he had a surgery scheduled to prevent blood clots when he was detained at Mesa Verde, a detention center in Bakersfield run by The GEO Group, Inc., a separate private prison operator. But when he was transferred by ICE to California City, he had gone weeks without the surgery, despite repeat requests for help.

In another instance, a detained individual had a surgery scheduled for an enlarged hernia when he was detained at Golden State Annex, a facility in the Kern County city of McFarland operated by The GEO Group.

His surgery had yet to be rescheduled when interviewed by DRC staff.

“He was in so much pain that he needed assistance moving around the facility,” the report said.

A 58-year-old man told The Bee he waited more than 12 hours to receive stitches and medical care after he fell out of his bunk bed and hit his head. It took the facility a week to get him pills for the headaches he’s experiencing, he said.

Todd said all detainees have daily access to sign up for medical care and mental health services, including screening, prevention, health education, diagnosis and treatment.

‘Unnecessary’ use of solitary confinement

It’s unclear how many migrants at the California City detention center have been placed in solitary confinement, and for how long. But detainees were still being held in prolonged isolation as of late October, according to the report.

People held in solitary confinement said they were not given access to the day room were regularly locked in their cells for all but a short period each day.

In a declaration filed in federal court, California City’s Warden Christopher Chestnut described how “restrictive housing” is used as a disciplinary measure at California City, such as in response to the September protest. He said that a group demonstration or refusal is considered a severe infraction because it disrupts procedures and strains facility resources and could result in formal disciplinary proceedings and charges.

If the detainee is found to have committed the charged infraction, they may receive a disciplinary sanction of up to 30 days in restrictive housing, Chestnut said.

“Disciplinary sanctions are not assessed as a means of retaliation against detainees,” Chestnut said. Rather, they are mean to promote pro-social behavior in an institutional environment, he said.

The DRC report called on the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and CoreCivic to improve access to medical and mental health care; address disability-related needs in timely manner; end harassment by staff and retaliatory use of solitary confinement; and ensure access to basic needs such as adequate food, water and clothing.

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