Note alleges harsh conditions in Otay Mesa Detention Center, congressman denied entry

A person being held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center threw a note attached to a lotion bottle over the fence, detailing allegations of bad food and constant sickness inside – one of several reports that Rep. Juan Vargas said prompted him on Friday to attempt to visit the detention center, where he was turned away.

“It’s cold here, the food is very poor. For 290 [days] we haven’t eaten a single piece of fruit, banana, orange or anything else,” reads the letter, a photo of which was obtained by NBC 7 but first reported by L.A. Taco.

“We’re in one big room with no doors or windows. We can’t see any grass or trees. We’re constantly sick,” it continues, detailing frustrations with canceled hearings and no chance at bond.

“We were tortured in our country and are now being held in prison indefinitely without the opportunity to properly prepare for trial,” the letter reads. A search of the federal government’s immigration court records confirms the detainee named has been held at the detention center since April, with no hearing scheduled.

“We are in dire straits and are pleading for help. Many people here have been sitting for 12, 14, 16, 18 months without a final court decision,” the letter ends.

Maya Anthony was at the detention center Friday to attend the hearing of a friend who she said has no criminal history but was taken into custody in Encinitas in October.

“He’s an incredible person, incredible member of our community,” Anthony said. “Everyone he’s interacted with has experienced his kindness and his responsibility.”

“When he first arrived, he got sick because it’s super cold in there,” she continued. “They didn’t give him anything for his cold. No pain medication for his headaches, nothing. And he’s housed with all people that don’t have criminal records, no records at all.”

“We’ve heard now a number of reports that the food here is not good, that the food is getting them sick,” Vargas said before attempting to enter the detention center. “We’ve also heard now even more serious allegations that they’re putting people in cages like they used to. They stopped that process some time ago. I want to know if they’re doing it again.”

Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to a request for comment on the allegations.

Jesenia Morales was held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center for four months, from June to October, when she was released on an ankle monitor. In Spanish, she said she’s seen those so-called cages.

“When people were being disciplined, they’d put them in small cages – just big enough for a chair – and keep them sitting in there,” she said in Spanish.

Morales said the food was “like dog food,” sometimes hardened mashed potatoes or cold soups, meat she couldn’t identify or things like broccoli stems without the tops. No fruit at all, she said, adding that it “didn’t look like food for people.”

“The safety, health and well-being of the individuals entrusted to our care is our top priority,” a spokesman for CoreCivic, the private company that’s contracted to run the facility, said in a statement. “Our immigration facilities are monitored very closely by our government partners at ICE, and they are required to undergo regular review and audit processes to ensure an appropriate standard of living and care for all detainees.”

“It is important to know that any allegations of food quality issues at the OMDC is patently false,” the statement continued. “We provide three nutritious meals a day for those in our care.”

When asked about the cages, the spokesman said “there is no one living or being held in cages” at the detention center and directed a request for photos of any disciplinary holding cells to ICE.

“I’ve been here many times before, both announced and unannounced, and they’ve always allowed me in,” Vargas said, adding that his most recent visit took place within President Donald Trump’s second term.

He and three other Democratic members of San Diego’s congressional delegation previously unsuccessfully attempted twice to inspect the holding facility in the basement of the federal building downtown, turned away and told to give seven days’ notice. They were let in on their third attempt after giving that notice, but contended they did not need to under the Constitution. At the time, an ICE spokesperson said the visit was “a publicity stunt.”

A dozen other members of Congress across the country sued the federal government after being denied access to detention facilities. A judge this week issued a temporary restraining order granting them access without having to give notice, but it only applies to those members who are part of the lawsuit as it continues – not including Vargas.

Still, Vargas attempted to enter the Otay Mesa Detention Center Friday after giving notice the previous day. Less than 30 minutes after he stepped inside the gate, he walked out – denied entry and unable to inspect the facility.

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Vargas said. “I attempted to negotiate with them. I said that, you know, I have every right to be here under the law. A judge has allowed that. And they refused entry. They did not allow me to enter, to observe anything.”

“I don’t know if the food is food that’s edible. I don’t know that,” Vargas said. “I don’t know if they’re putting people in cages or not. I don’t know that. I don’t even know if they have little children in there. I don’t know that. I don’t know any of that because they didn’t allow me in and I have every right to be there.”

Vargas said the warden told him the decision was “up to ICE” and that he then asked to see the policy in writing. Vargas showed a copy of a memo he was given, from ICE’s Acting Director Todd Lyons to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in January, noting the policy of requiring seven days’ notice.

“I think it’s a violation of the law. And we’ll see them in court,” Vargas said.

“Even months after leaving, my husband and I still have nightmares,” Morales said, growing emotional, “dreams we’re being chased or locked up again or that our kids are taken.”

“I think the conditions, they keep it so that you’re going to voluntarily deport,” Anthony said. “I feel complete injustice, I feel frustration. It’s just not right. It shouldn’t be happening. And it’s absolutely devastating.”