KQED's The California Report Otay Mesa Detainees Face New Challenges in Communicating With Outside World
Mar 4, 2026
Aisha Wallace-Palomares, an investigative reporter for LA Taco who covered Otay Mesa, reports from vigils and on-the-ground communication efforts. She describes how detainees passed notes, shouted names, and used an app to stay in touch. She also chronicles how facility staff and policy changes have limited yard time and silenced these informal channels.
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Citizen Arrested At Work Suffered Health Harm
- Javier Ramirez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested by ICE at his job and held four days, leaving him feeling unsafe in his own country.
- Ramirez also reported inadequate diabetes treatment in detention leading to severe health complications.
Court Ordered Release For Cambodian Genocide Survivor
- Satie Yi, a Cambodian genocide survivor, was detained after a routine check-in and held nearly two months before a judge ruled her detention unconstitutional.
- Her attorney sued accusing ICE of detaining her without proper procedure.
Vigils Became A Direct Line Over The Wall
- Activists hold weekly Sunday vigils outside Otay Mesa to connect with detainees through song, megaphones, and notes tossed over the fence.
- Detainees threw written notes attached to toiletries and batteries with A numbers and messages like "250 days we haven't eaten a single piece of fruit."