Otay Mesa Detention Center: a family's guide
The Otay Mesa Detention Center is an immigration detention center in San Diego, near the Mexican border, run by CoreCivic under contract with ICE. The Otay Mesa Immigration Court is inside the same building. To ask about someone held there, call (619) 671-8700, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with their full name, date and country of birth, and A-number. Otay Mesa is in the Ninth Circuit, where bond hearings are still available to most people, including those who entered without inspection.
This is information, not legal advice.
This guide explains the general rules. What they mean for your family member depends on their circumstances. Answer a few questions to check their situation.
The basics
- Address: 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154. Visitor parking is on site.
- Main phone: (619) 671-8700, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Operator: CoreCivic, under contract with ICE. ICE’s San Diego Field Office, at (619) 436-0410, is responsible for the people held there.
- Immigration court: Otay Mesa Immigration Court, in the same building.
- Federal court for habeas: the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
- Federal circuit: the Ninth.
Confirm someone is there with the ICE detainee locator. Families often search for an “Otay Mesa inmate search.” The locator is that search for ICE detainees.
Contacting someone held there
- People held at Otay Mesa cannot receive calls. For something urgent, call the main line and leave their full name, A-number and your callback number.
- The facility has tablets. Messages that are not confidential go through GettingOut, at gettingout.com.
- Calls out are paid; assume they are recorded.
- Lawyers can send legal mail by email to OMDCLegalVisit@corecivic.com with “Legal Mail” in the subject.
Visiting
- ICE’s page says family and friend visits are by video, scheduled by housing unit, seven days a week. Contact visits were suspended. Check ICE’s Otay Mesa page or call before you plan a trip.
- No phones, electronics or weapons. Nothing can be passed to the person. Visitors are searched.
- Attorney visits run daily, 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Mail, money and packages
- Mail: include the person’s name, the last four digits of their A-number, and your name and return address, sent to 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154. Mail is screened for contraband, not read.
- Money: CoreCivic takes deposits through ViaPath at ConnectNetwork.com, online, by app or by phone, and through Western Union’s corrections service. Money orders or cashier’s checks made out to the person can be mailed. Never cash or personal checks. See how to send money to someone in ICE detention.
- Packages: only with approval. The person has to submit a package authorization form first, and ICE has to approve it. It is usually for clothes for release or removal.
- If the person is transferred, only legal mail follows them.
Bond and release from Otay Mesa
- Bond hearings are available to most people. In July 2026 the Ninth Circuit rejected ICE’s policy of denying bond hearings to people who entered without inspection. The exceptions are mandatory detention and final orders. See did ICE end bond hearings?
- Where to file: the Otay Mesa Immigration Court, 7488 Calzada de la Fuente. Mail goes to P.O. Box 438150, San Ysidro, CA 92143-8150. Window filing runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays (EOIR). See a sample motion and the sponsor letter.
- Ability to pay: Ninth Circuit judges must consider it when setting bond. Bring proof of income.
- Paying: through ICE’s CeBONDS system. See how to pay an immigration bond.
- If the judge cannot set bond: a habeas petition goes to the federal court for the Southern District of California in San Diego. See how to file a habeas petition.
Legal help near Otay Mesa
- San Diego County funds an Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program that represents people detained at Otay Mesa. Ask about it at the first hearing or through the facility.
- EOIR’s list of pro bono legal service providers covers the Otay Mesa court.
- For the bond itself, see bond funds.
Questions people also ask
What is the phone number for Otay Mesa Detention Center?
(619) 671-8700, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. People held there cannot receive calls; leave an urgent message with their full name, A-number and your callback number.
What is the address of Otay Mesa Detention Center?
7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154.
How do I send money to someone at Otay Mesa Detention Center?
CoreCivic, which runs the facility, takes deposits through ViaPath (ConnectNetwork.com) online, by phone or app, and through Western Union’s corrections service. Money orders made out to the person by name and A-number can also be mailed. Never send cash.
Which immigration court is at Otay Mesa?
The Otay Mesa Immigration Court, in the same building at 7488 Calzada de la Fuente. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 438150, San Ysidro, CA 92143-8150. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Can someone at Otay Mesa get a bond hearing?
Usually, yes. The Ninth Circuit rejected ICE’s no-bond policy for people who entered without inspection in July 2026. Mandatory detention and final orders are the main exceptions.
See which ways out are open for them
Check your family member’s situation to see which release options may apply, what to do next, and which documents to gather.