ICE opens 700-bed private detention center in McFarland, California

ICE activated the Central Valley Annex in McFarland, California on April 15, 2026, a 700-bed facility operated by GEO Group in a former state prison. The facility brought California's total active ICE detention capacity to nearly 10,000 beds across eight centers, all run by private contractors. DHS transferred detainees to McFarland without advance public notice, continuing a pattern of quietly expanding private detention infrastructure in the state.