Trump’s new immigration strategy revealed in purchase of 2 ICE detention centers in California

According to CalMatters, the Trump administration is buying two immigration detention centers in California for one point five billion dollars—a direct response to the state's political opposition to ICE operations. The Department of Homeland Security purchased the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego and the California City Detention Facility from CoreCivic. Federal ownership gives the government protection from California's environmental and zoning regulations, which have repeatedly blocked ICE expansion in the state. The move reverses course from an earlier plan to build mega-detention warehouses across the country, which collapsed due to lawsuits and staffing shortages. The purchase prices—seven hundred thirty-nine million dollars for Otay Mesa and seven hundred thirty-two million dollars for California City—represent roughly four-and-a-half times the properties' assessed values, raising questions about whether taxpayers are paying a premium.

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