REPORT • Telephone system a concern

ee particularly cited as an issue when the staff member is not the same gender as the detainees in the unit. The report noted that ICE and CoreCivic said they would provide a refresher training to their staff to address the issue.

Inspectors also noted the telephone system as an area of concern because it was not clear from facility documentation whether the phone lines were being tested regularly, and the inspectors received a complaint that the phones disconnect frequently during calls.

The facility has the capacity to hold 1,142 people in

ICE custody, the report says. The average daily population and current counts of men and women at the facility were redacted, though previous reports have published these numbers.

The number of people held at the facility was reduced under court order during a COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year. The inspection report did not discuss the facility’s handling of the pandemic.

One detainee — who tested positive for COVID-19 in October — complained of being unable to discuss more than one health issue at a time when being seen by the facility doctor.

The last time Otay Mesa was inspected in person, in February, there were nine deficiencies in a wider range of areas — medical care, disability accommodation, food service, admission and release, environmental health and safety, religious practices and personal property.

During that inspection, officials found a similar issue regarding a lack of signed detention orders.

For the November inspection, staff members from the Office of Detention Oversight interviewed 12 detainees. In February, inspectors interviewed 18.