New ICE Detention Annex Opens in McFarland, Expanding California’s Harsh Immigration Lockdown

A new immigration detention facility operated by the private prison giant GEO Group has quietly opened in McFarland, California, marking a significant expansion of ICE’s detention footprint in Kern County and the state. The Central Valley Annex adds roughly 700 beds to an already bloated system, bringing California’s total ICE detention capacity close to 10,000—one of the highest in the nation behind only Texas, Florida, and Louisiana.

This annex is the eighth active ICE detention site in California and the fourth in Kern County alone, underscoring how the region has become a hub for locking up immigrants. The GEO Group began transferring detainees to the McFarland facility in early April, according to local advocates who have been monitoring the site.

Rosa Lopez, a policy advocate with the ACLU of Southern California, highlights the troubling implications of this expansion. The new annex stems from a 2020 GEO Group proposal to convert two 700-bed prison units into annexes supporting the nearby Bakersfield Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center. The McFarland City Council approved this plan with a unanimous 4-0 vote, despite growing community concerns.

Advocacy groups warn that these facilities are ill-suited for long-term detention and have documented serious issues with detainee treatment, including limited access to medical care. “We have documented concerns with treatment of people inside these facilities, the lack of medical access and serious health issues that arise when people are held in facilities not suited to house people long term,” Lopez said.

The GEO Group defends its operations, claiming to provide comprehensive services such as 24-hour medical care, legal and family visitation, translation services, religious accommodations, and recreational opportunities. The company also touts its independent accreditation by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

But critics remain deeply skeptical. Lopez points out that private prison corporations like GEO and CoreCivic exploit economically struggling communities with promises of jobs and revenue—promises that often fail to materialize. Instead, these facilities perpetuate a system of profit-driven incarceration that devastates immigrant families and communities.

With the Central Valley Annex now operational, ICE detention capacity in Kern County approaches 5,000 beds, cementing the area’s role as a key node in the nationwide expansion of immigration detention. This growth comes amid ongoing reports of human rights abuses, inadequate oversight, and a relentless push to detain more immigrants for longer periods.

As this new annex starts housing detainees, community members and advocates urge local officials to hold GEO Group accountable and demand transparency about conditions inside. The stakes could not be higher for the thousands of people caught in this expanding detention machine.