San Diego Field Office
Otay Detention Facility

About Us

Who Are We?
Where Are We?
Hours and Visitations
Contacting Us
Local Procedures

Who Are We?

This is a temporary detention center for individuals who are waiting for their immigration status to be determined or who are awaiting repatriation. Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) administers the operations of this facility.

Detention and Removal Operations:

Field Office Director:
Robin F. Baker

Assistant Field Office Director:
John A. Garzon

(619) 710-8300

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA):

San Diego Correctional Facility, (SDCF) Warden:
Fred Lawrence

Assistant Warden:
Charles Howard

(619) 661-9119

Where Are We?

Street Address:
446 Alta Road
Suite 5400
San Diego, CA 92158

Mailing Address:
Otay Detention Facility
P.O. Box 438150
San Ysidro, CA 92143-8150

Parking: Ample parking is available in front of the facility.

By Bus: The two nearest bus terminals are located in downtown San Diego and adjacent to the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

Accessibility for Individuals with Special Needs: Special needs customers should use the Otay Detention Facility front entrance and ask for any necessary assistance.

Hours and Visitations

Visiting Hours: (see also "Search Procedures" under Local Procedures, below)

General Visitation:

• Visitation is conducted Saturday, Sunday, and Federal Holidays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Detainees will only be allowed to visit those individuals on his or her approved visitation list, per a completed a visitation request form in advance of each visit.
• Visitors must have a valid verifiable photo identification card.
• Special family visits must be approved in advance by the CCA Chief of Security, Assistant Warden, or Warden.

Attorney Visitation Hours:

• Legal representatives of detainees are authorized to visit their clients daily from 8:00 a.m. and 9:45 p.m.
• Attorneys may visit detainees as described above in order to determine whether an attorney/client relationship will be established.
• Return visits by an attorney for the purpose of legal consultation will require the filing of a G-28 with the court.
• A list of pro bono (free) legal organizations is posted in all detainee housing units and other appropriate areas. This list is updated quarterly.

Consular Visits:

Consular officials may meet with their detained nationals at any time. It is requested that prior arrangements be made with the office of the ICE Assistant Field Office Director as far in advance as possible, and that consular officials bring appropriate credentials when they come to the facility.

Clergy Visits:

Members of the clergy wishing to visit the facility must make prior arrangements with the office of the ICE Assistant Field Office Director. If requested by a detainee, and approved in advance, clergy may be placed on a visitation list for visits during scheduled visiting hours. Special clergy visits must be approved by ICE in advance and may require background and credentials checks.

Visitation Restrictions:

1. All family / social visits are non-contact.
2. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted in the facility.
3. If visitors are or appear to be under the influence of alcohol or any drug, visitation will not be allowed.
4. Each detainee is permitted to have a maximum of eight (8) visitors at one time; two (2) adults and six (6) children. Visits will be limited to a duration of 1 hour, though additional time may be allotted, depending on visitor volume.
5. All visitors are subject to search.
6. Visitors are not allowed to pass or attempt to pass any items to detainees.
7. Children must be under control at all times and must not be left unaccompanied in the waiting room, visiting room or any other area.
8. Minors who are visiting the facility must be accompanied by an adult guardian (18 years or older).
9. Please dress appropriately. The following is a list of unacceptable attire (but is not limited to this list): mini skirts, short shorts, bare feet, tank tops, tube tops, sexually explicit attire, transparent or translucent material (see through clothes), or anything deemed to be inappropriate attire by the CCA Chief of Security.
10. Visitors are not allowed to chew gum in the facility.
11. If contraband such as drugs, alcohol or weapons are found on any visitor, that person may be subject to arrest and prosecution.
12. Disruptive conduct by either party will result in the termination of the visit.

Search Procedures (prior to or during family or attorney visitations):

All individuals requesting admittance to the facility or the visitation area are subject to a pat-down search of their person, an inspection of their belongings and a metal scan search. Individuals refusing to cooperate with a reasonable search will not be admitted. No firearms or weapons of any kind are permitted. No electronic devices (cell phones, pagers, radios, etc.) are permitted in the secure areas of this facility. All detainees are required to submit to a search when visiting with their family members, friends, attorneys, paralegal, etc., prior to the start of the visit. Detainees will also be subject to a pat-down search upon termination of their visit.

Contacting Us

Detention:

Many of the detainees held in the facility were taken into custody by other ICE or DHS components at one of the area’s surrounding seaports, airports or border ports of entry. Some detainees have been transferred in from other states. If you need information about a detainee you may call (619) 710-8300 during normal business hours. (Please do not call until the detainee has been in our custody for at least 24 hours). When you do call, please have his or her biographical information ready, including first, last and hyphenated names, any alias names he/she may use, date of birth and country of birth. If you do not have this information, we may not be able to help you. Providing the detainee’s alien registration number (also known as the “A” number) will further assist us in providing accurate and timely information about the detainee.

If you need to contact a detainee you must call (619) 661-9119 and leave the detainee’s full name, alien registration number and a telephone number where you can be reached. He or she will be given your message.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (PA) Requests:

All FOIA/PA requests must be submitted on form G-639 (Freedom of Information / Privacy Act Request) or in letter format. All requests must contain an original notarized signature of the subject in question. Please complete Form G-639. If writing a letter, be sure to include your full name, any other names used, date of birth, place of birth, “A” number. Please include your address and telephone number, so that we may contact you if we have any questions.

Mail your FOIA/PA Request to:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Freedom of Information Act Office
Room 585
800 North Capitol Street, NW Washington, DC 20536

Phone – 1-866-633-1182
E-mail – ICE-FOIA@dhs.gov

Obtaining the Status of your Case:

Detainees with cases before the Immigration Court may obtain automated information about the status of their case by calling the Executive Office of Immigration Review at (800) 898-7180 and proving the requested information.

Filing with the Immigration Court:

Applications for relief from removal, stay of removal and other applications requested by the Immigration Judge must be filed directly with the Immigration Court at this address:

Executive Office of Immigration Review
401 West "A" Street, Suite 800
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 557-6052

Legal Assistance:

Click the link for a list of pro bono representatives who might be able to assist you.

Press Information Office:

Please contact the San Diego ICE Public Affairs Officer at (619) 719-7921 for media inquiries.

Feedback:

We strive to provide quality service to people in our custody, their family, friends, and their official representatives. If you believe that we have not lived up to this commitment, we would like to know. If we have met or exceeded your expectations, please let us know that as well. To comment on the services provided at this office, please write to

Assistant Field Office Director, Detention and Removal Operations
446 Alta Road, Suite 5400
San Diego, CA 92158

If you feel that an ICE employee or a Contract employee mistreated you and wish to make a complaint of misconduct, you may call or write to:

Field Office Director, Detention and Removal Operations
880 Front Street, Suite 2232
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 557-6343

or

Director, Office of Professional Responsibility
425 “I” Street, NW, Room 3260
Washington, DC 20229
(877) 246-8253

You may also file a complaint by submitting DHS Form I-847.

Local Procedures

Bonds:

To post a Departure or Delivery Bond:

These bonds are posted when a person has been placed into Removal/Deportation Proceedings while in the United States. The person supplying the bond money must show proof of identity. This person (the obligor) is responsible for ensuring that the alien presents himself or herself before an officer or agent of this agency whenever a request is made. For bond information, please call (619) 557-5802 and ask to speak with the Deportation Officer handling the case. You must have the last name of the detainee and alien registration number before calling.

Commissary:

Commissary services are available to detainees at this facility. Orders are accepted and delivered on scheduled days. Phone cards are also sold via the commissary.

Mail:

A postal allowance has been established at government expense for indigent detainees. Detainees will be permitted to mail a reasonable amount of mail each week, including five pieces of special correspondence and three pieces of general correspondence. The facility generally does not limit the amount of correspondence detainees may send at their own expense, except to protect public safety or facility security and order. All outgoing mail must have a return address with the detainee’s name, alien registration number, and complete address of the facility clearly written on the envelope. Mail will be processed and delivered within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.

Detainee mailing address:

Detainee Name
Building/Pod
Immigration “A” Number
P. O. Box 439049
San Diego, CA 92143-9049

Receiving Mail:

Detainees may receive mail from anyone they know personally. The letter/mail must have the detainee’s immigration number (“A” number), plus the sender’s name and address. All incoming social and legal mail will be opened and inspected for contraband. The mail is not read, only inspected by the delivering officer. When a detainee departs the facility, his or her mail is sent to the forwarding address provided by the detainee. If no forwarding address is provided, the mail is endorsed, "No Forwarding Address, Return to Sender," and returned to the Post Office.

Medical Care:

This facility is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with qualified medical staff of the United States Division of Immigration Health Services (US DIHS). If a medical emergency arises that DIHS staff is unable to manage, is beyond the scope of their practice, or the detainee is in need of more comprehensive care, the detainee will be referred to the nearest emergency medical facility.

Money:

Detainee Sending Money Out:

Detainees must sign a release of funds form for funds released from his or her account.

Detainee Receiving Money:

Cash, United States Postal Money Orders, and United States Treasury Checks will be credited to the detainee’s account, normally on the next business day after receipt. Cashiers Checks will be held for ten days. Personal and business checks will not be accepted through the mail and will be returned to sender. Other money orders will be held until funds clear (normally five days).

Sending Packages:

A detainee may send out packages at his or her own expense with the approval of a CCA Unit Manager. In some cases, the agency may pay for an indigent detainee to send packages within the United States.

Receiving Packages:

No items should be sent to a detainee without prior written approval from CCA or ICE. A detainee may receive items determined to be of necessity for the purpose of travel or release from agency custody only with prior written approval of a CCA Unit Manager.

Hygiene items are not permitted from outside sources as these are issued by CCA or purchased by the detainee at the facility. Do not send magazines and photographs depicting nudity or explicit sexual acts. Material offering training in martial arts, destructive device manufacturing is prohibited. Any food items received will be confiscated and destroyed in the presence of the detainee. Magazines may only be purchased from a publishing company and mailed directly to the detainee at the facility.

You may provide a detainee who was arrested without property, and who is scheduled to be removed from the United States, with one bag of luggage weighing no more than 40 pounds. A detainee already in possession of baggage in excess of 40 pounds will not be allowed additional luggage. For security reasons, no electronic devices (cell phones, electric razors, lap-top computers, radios, etc.) will be accepted.

Religious Services and Observances:

Detainees at this facility have access to religious resources, services, instructions and counseling on a voluntary basis. See “Clergy Visits” above. Detainees are extended the opportunity to pursue any legitimate religious belief or practice within the constraints of security and safety. The Otay Detention Facility has the following religious services / programs available to detainees: Catholic, Episcopal, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and interfaith services. Any other denominations wishing to hold services should contact the CCA Warden in writing at the above address.

Smoking:

This is a non-smoking facility. No tobacco products or smoking paraphernalia is allowed.

Telephone Calls:

Telephones are available for detainee use in the housing and recreation areas, and other designated areas within the facility. Telephone calls are available via debit or collect calls, and made at the expense of the detainee or the person called.

Corrections Corporation of America generally limits calls made by detainees to twenty minutes. Telephone access is available to detainees from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily. All detainee calls are suspended at count time, in the event of an emergency or when CCA staff determines it is necessary to ensure officer and detainee safety.

Consular and Attorney Phone Calls:

Detainees may call their consulates, embassies and several pro bono (free) legal organizations free of charge. Those numbers are updated as necessary.

Calling a Detainee:

Detainees cannot receive incoming calls. If you need to contact a detainee or leave an urgent message, you must call (619) 661-9119 and leave the detainee’s full name, alien registration number and your name and telephone number where you can be reached. The detainee will be given your message and advised to return your call as soon as possible.

Making a Call:

Pre-paid phone cards may be purchased by the detainee upon admittance to the facility and via commissary. The cost of the card will be deducted from the detainee’s personal account. Only facility purchased cards may be used in facility phones – detainees cannot use personal phone cards. These cards may be used for all collect, local, national, and international long distance calls.

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