July 13: Kern County Supervisor Talks About ICE Detention Center Presence In Her Community

Support for this podcast comes from the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, connecting communities with the resources, infrastructure, and networks to ensure a vibrant local free press. From KVPR in Fresno, this is Central Valley Daily. It's Monday, July 13th. I'm Sarith Hawk. The number of ICE detentions is surging across the country, and some local leaders are under pressure to provide more oversight. My honest sense is that my public health department is doing everything they believe they legally and ethically can do in these facilities. But where does federal authority end and county responsibility begin? We speak with Kern County supervisor Letitia James Perez as her county navigates this increasing public scrutiny. That conversation in just a moment. Explore the history of the people and places of our region with KVPR's Central Valley Roots. I'm the host, Joe Moore. Every new episode, I bring you little-known stories of our region. Find the latest episode of Central Valley Roots wherever you get your podcasts or visit kvpr.org slash roots. And now to our feature story. Kern County is the epicenter of California's immigration detention operation, with four locations spread throughout the county. They represent half of all ice facilities in the state. With these privately run centers under federal contract, there are few levels of outside authority that can pierce through its fortress of bureaucracy. The California Department of Justice has been one of the rare agencies legally allowed to hold inspections and talk to detainees. Four public records from State Attorney General Rob Bonta's office since 2019 have documented squalid living conditions. The latest report from 2025 released in May this year detailed a heightened state of deterioration, made worse with a surging number of detainees during this administration. KVPR spoke to Rob Bonta about what was in the latest report. The facilities are completely ill-equipped and unprepared for the increase in the number of detainees. And we can see that in the lack of access to water, food, health care, clothing, bedding. The Kern County Board of Supervisors has faced increasing public outcry from citizens, urging county officials to step in with more oversight. A state law, SB 1132, says that health officers are required to investigate health and sanitary conditions in a publicly operated detention facility. But in my conversation with Kern County District 5 supervisor Letitia James Perez, she emphasizes the county's lack of clarity. Even as she acknowledges at the time of this interview, she had not personally read through Attorney General Rob Bonta's reports.

We have not had a conversation with Rob Bontra directly. And this is the first time. What you just conveyed is the first that I have heard of any of this. And I mean it. What we have heard are testimonials from the public. coming to the Board of Supervisors, many of them people that we know and that are sort of activists or are active in other areas of the community, like libraries, animal welfare, really good faith members of the community and not just Latinos or any particular ethnic group, really a complete mix, which has been quite striking, and also a mix of backgrounds in. faith communities and other communities. It has been an incredible cross-section of the community that has come forward on a pretty regular basis and has said they are hearing from people who they communicate with in the institution stories, and they have shared those stories with us. a gentleman not getting his cataracts removed and nearly going blind. That was a story that was shared, stories of inadequate medical care. This is what the Board of Supervisors has been receiving and testimonials from the public about conversations they're having with detainees. And we have been as an institution asking, reaching out to the federal government, reaching out to the AG's office to help us as a county figure out how we respond to the public's concern. on an area that is largely considered immigration and therefore preempted by the federal law and federal government. Sure. And I want to get into, you know, the county's authority, but I just want to make sure I was hearing correctly the publicly issued state report that was released in May 26. You personally have not read that report, which details the state. the DOJ going in and inspecting all of these detention facilities, four of which are in Kern County, so you have not been able to read that report. Our county council did read through it, said they found, told me they had seen nothing out of the ordinary that was problematic. The report points out a lot of problematic things, mostly that conditions are Much worse than they were a few years ago. So in the testimonials that you've heard from the public, was this something that people brought up? The report or they, what specifically? The conditions that they have been even hearing about because they're only able to visit detainees, but. Yes, they are coming to the board, telling the board that they are hearing this firsthand from.

either meetings that have a glass between them or me or telephone conversations, that there is inadequate medical care, that there is, you know, these aren't good conditions, the food isn't great, the clothes are not adequate, the temperatures are off, too hot, too cold, people's sicknesses are not being addressed, these kind of challenges. And given what the public has come forward to tell you and now this public report that the DOJ has issued, what level of responsibility do you think the county has in going to inspect these facilities? Have they met that responsibility? Are they using their authority? What are your thoughts on that? You know, my honest sense is that my public health department is doing everything they believe they legally. and ethically can do in these facilities. I believe that. I believe it's unclear. The law continues to change. It is incredibly frustrating and confusing. I believe that to be true. And it is also happening in a difficult political climate that has not been discussed amongst when we are talking about what to do and how to address these issues, the issues of partisan politics or... or the political reality driving a lot of this. scenario are not we don't talk about them they are not part of the conversation we couch these terms and the federal government their responsibility their authority you know what they are affording to us is what we are able to do it is remarkably confusing i hope that you believe that and it is it's unclear for a number of people what they should do and what they can do uh in terms of the government bureaucracy So I am pleased that our public health department has gone in multiple times, that they are establishing a relationship, that they want to do that in a civil and respectful way, hopefully to build trust, because the public wants to know that the county cares and that we are doing everything we can to address things they believe are true and that need to be addressed. And in that vein, I offered myself to attempt to make a visit to one of these facilities, or in particular, Cal City, and attempt to have a conversation with the people there and try to share with them the concerns that I have heard from the community. I know I don't have authority to demand to be let in. I have no intention of doing that. I don't believe I have the authority to do that. But I certainly would like to have a conversation with them. and convey what I'm hearing the heart of many people who I trust and know for now a decade to come before the board and lobby on issues that are important to them. They are credible people, they're honest people, the ones I'm referring to. And so that, of course, is concerning. And it's something the county should be concerned about. And I believe we are legitimately working through an incredibly complex issue.

in the dark, largely, because the law keeps changing and the facilities have just been purchased. What does that mean? What is our new authority? I just met with County Council yesterday. They're working on a public update that we're going to provide at our next board session so that we are continually advising the public, what we're doing, how we are pushing to be in compliance with the law, and, of course, address the concerns of the public. And you mentioned a little while ago the purchase, the federal government purchasing of a facility in Kern County. You mentioned there was some confusion over what that does with the county's authority to operate there. Can you talk a little bit more about what the purchase means for the county? You know, I don't know. We're in the process of figuring that out. I believe we sent out a press statement. I saw it work email this morning that indicated we are. currently as we speak, determining and figuring out what are the details, what are the implications. We're not entirely sure, but they're literally as we speak and will be releasing a statement to the public as to what that means. I'm aware that some of the activist groups don't believe that it changes much, really, because their belief is that. core civic will continue to run the facility, will still be the managers of the operation, if you will, but the facility itself changing hands. I don't know if that's true, but I know that that idea is out there. So this is part of the problem. And there is so much confusion. There is so much rapid change that's occurring. And so many people here are really asking, really hopeful that our state attorney general, Rob Bonta, will. will make a statement publicly, will indicate that there is a problem here that will help guide us since he has been in and inspected himself. We are, you know, I understand Dolores where to reach out to him and our office is now in communication with them because we would like some help in direction and moving forward. I see. So although his office has gone in and produced several inspection reports over many years, you're saying... you don't have any direct guidance from the state as a county on what your authority is? No, we don't. And it's an incredibly frustrating situation because we were gearing up last year. My public health director was, from all regards, please believe me, she was ready and excited and just excited to answer to the public, excited to do her job. And some lawsuit was filed or some change in the legislation, some law proposed. I think GEO sued the AG. And then we just got embroiled and enmeshed. in what is very confusing matters for local leaders who are somewhat removed from the political happenings between Sacramento and D.C. because these things are changing by the hour, as you know.

And so we, I think, feel a little bit overwhelmed by not knowing what our job is. We believe that our health department is limited to inspect food. We've done that continually. We've produced those ports, put them out. But I think ultimately we need to establish some trust with these facilities. We need to offer our assistance as a county. If there are challenges in the medical provisions. perhaps the way to partner together locally to improve and streamline that process. I think that's the beneficial next step moving forward is to really try to establish a relationship some trust and be a middleman between maybe both big governments at the state and federal level that... You know, are dealing with big issues. We here on the ground are managing our American neighbors who are just are, have engaged in a public outcry to the board, people who I believe are largely credible and moral and kind people. And they are frustrated by a government that doesn't exactly know how to, how to help resolve their moral and ethical issues, you know, when we are trumped by. you know, the federal law, when we are Trump by immigration law, when there's very little legally or otherwise that we can do, even if there was the political will to do it. So, you know, I hope that you can at least imagine some grace towards a bureaucracy that is really fearful about getting this wrong and overstepping its bounds or trying to be responsive to the public. It's not an easy issue. Yeah, it sounds like you have to walk sort of a fine line right now as a county and also with your position on the board. So what I'm hearing is that there will be a public update forthcoming. Absolutely. And I hope you believe me. I've been here 14 years on this board doing the best I can under really a particular, under a challenging political climate. That was my conversation with Supervisor Leticia Perez. She represents the 5th district in Kern County. KVPR will continue to follow any future updates on this issue from the Kern County Board of Supervisors. And that's today's show. Today's episode was produced by Jonathan Linden and KVPR with support from the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. I'm Sarith Hawke. Find the latest local news anytime at kvpr.org. Each story you hear on Planet Money starts with a question. What happens if we refund tariffs? Why are groceries so expensive? At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious because the forces shaping our world can be hard to see. Follow NPR's Planet Money wherever you get your podcasts and start seeing how the economy really works.