Releases from Otay Mesa Detention Center
Otay Mesa Detention Center is an ICE and CoreCivic immigration detention facility. The research identifies it as relevant when a San Diego County jail release is actually a transfer to immigration custody, or when the person was held directly by ICE. That distinction is the core of this page. A person can disappear from the Sheriff's Who's In Jail lookup because the Sheriff's custody ended, but the person may still be detained by ICE. Conversely, a person held directly by ICE may never have a San Diego County Sheriff booking record at all.
ICE's Online Detainee Locator System is the first public search path for current ICE custody. The research says ODLS is for people currently in ICE custody or in CBP custody for more than 48 hours. USA.gov explains that ODLS can be searched by A-number with country of birth or by name, country of birth, and birth date. Because the locator is custody-focused, a missing or changed result should be checked against the facility, counsel, immigration court, and any county release reason rather than treated as a complete release history.
How to Confirm an Otay Mesa Release
The ICE release workflow should not begin with the Sheriff's jail roster unless there was a local booking first. Use ODLS for current ICE custody, then follow with the facility and immigration case sources. If the person moved from a Sheriff's jail to ICE, keep both records: the county release record proves the person left Sheriff's custody, while ICE records address immigration detention status.
- Search ICE ODLS by A-number and country of birth when available. That is usually more precise than a name-only search.
- If the A-number is unknown, search by name, country of birth, and birth date as USA.gov describes. Compare spelling, aliases, and date information carefully.
- Contact Otay Mesa facility information if ODLS is unclear. The research says ICE's Otay Mesa page gives (619) 671-8700 for Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- Use immigration counsel and immigration court records to confirm bond, release, removal proceedings, transfer, or reporting conditions.
- If the person came from a San Diego Sheriff jail, confirm the county release reason through the Sheriff's record, custody line, Records & ID, and Superior Court case.
- If the person was instead in federal criminal custody, check BOP or USMS paths such as MCC San Diego or Western Region Detention Facility.
The San Diego County released inmates page explains the county side of the custody trail. This Otay Mesa page focuses on the immigration detention side, where ODLS, facility contact, counsel, and immigration court are the main release-verification channels.
Otay Mesa Records and Contact
The research provides two facility-related phone paths. ICE's facility information page says facility information can be requested by calling (619) 671-8700 Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CoreCivic's page lists facility phone 619-671-8750 and ICE detention reporting line information. Use current official pages to verify details before visiting or relying on hours.
Otay Mesa Detention Center
Otay Mesa, San Diego County
ICE / CoreCivic immigration detention
ICE facility information: (619) 671-8700
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. per research.
CoreCivic Facility Phone
619-671-8750
Use for facility contact as listed in the research.
Also check ICE detention reporting line information.
ICE ODLS
https://locator.ice.gov/
Search by A-number and country of birth, or by name, country of birth, and birth date.
About Otay Mesa Detention Center
Otay Mesa Detention Center is not a San Diego Sheriff's jail, a CDCR prison, or a BOP facility. It is an immigration detention facility. The facility matters on a released-inmates site because San Diego is a border county and because a county jail release can be followed by immigration detention. If the public only checks the county jail roster, the person may appear to be released even though ICE custody continues.
| Otay Mesa fact | Release meaning |
|---|---|
| ICE / CoreCivic facility | Use ODLS, facility contact, counsel, and immigration court as the primary path. |
| Current-custody locator | ODLS is useful for current ICE custody or CBP custody over 48 hours. |
| County transfer possibility | A Sheriff release may mean transfer to ICE rather than release to the community. |
| Separate from criminal custody | County, BOP, USMS, CDCR, and ICE records must be reconciled rather than merged. |
San Diego ICE Transfer Angle
Research Section 19 identifies San Diego's border-county context and Otay Mesa Detention Center as a distinctive facility-page angle. It notes local debate over Sheriff-to-ICE transfers and pending-release information. For this page, the practical point is not advocacy language; it is verification. A person may be released from county custody because the county's legal hold ended, but an immigration transfer may begin another custody event.
Confirm the county release reason, the Superior Court case, ODLS, facility contact, counsel, and immigration court before describing the release. If the county record says "released" but ICE ODLS shows custody, the person has not been released from every custody system. If ODLS does not show custody, still check counsel and immigration court when the timing is close or the name match is uncertain.
ODLS Limits and Search Fields
ODLS is not a permanent released-inmate archive. The research frames it as a locator for current ICE custody and CBP custody over 48 hours. That means a person who was recently released, transferred, removed, or whose data is restricted may require another verification channel. Use ODLS as a custody check, then pair it with facility information and the immigration case.
| ODLS search route | Use |
|---|---|
| A-number plus country of birth | Best when an A-number is known and spelling variations might affect name search. |
| Name, country of birth, birth date | Useful when A-number is unknown, but more vulnerable to spelling and identity issues. |
| Facility phone | Use when locator timing, transfer, or release wording is unclear. |
| Counsel and immigration court | Use for bond, hearing, release, removal, and reporting-condition context. |
When a Sheriff Record Also Exists
If a person was first booked into a San Diego County Sheriff's facility, the county record may show when the person left Sheriff's custody. The Sheriff custody line is (619) 409-5000. Records & ID is at 9621 Ridgehaven Ct., San Diego, CA 92123, phone 858-974-2110, with business hours Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and lunch closure from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Local criminal history requests can use Booking.Records@sdsheriff.org when the requester and request type fit the Sheriff's process.
That county record does not answer whether ICE later released the person. It only answers the Sheriff's custody event. To complete the release trail, match the county release reason with ODLS, facility contact, counsel, and immigration court. If a federal criminal case also exists, check BOP, USMS, MCC San Diego, or Western Region Detention Facility records as applicable.
Responsible Use of Otay Mesa Records
Immigration detention information is sensitive and can be incomplete, delayed, corrected, or limited by law. Verify with ICE, facility staff, counsel, immigration court, the Sheriff, or the receiving agency before relying on a record.
Do not use an ICE locator result as a complete custody file. Do not assume release to the community without checking transfer language. Avoid commercial mugshot and pay-to-remove sites, and use official records or legal counsel for formal confirmation.
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