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Two California<\/a> lawmakers conducted an oversight visit on Thursday at Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>\u2019s Otay Mesa detention center, an immigrant detention facility that has faced allegations of overcrowding<\/a>, poor conditions<\/a> and sexual assaults<\/a>.<\/p>\n The visit had been previously scheduled. But Mike Levin, a Democratic congressman, told the Guardian he planned to conduct more unannounced visits following a federal court ruling that struck down the Trump administration<\/a>\u2019s policy of forcing members of Congress to announce oversight visits seven days in advance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really critically important that we continue to show up unannounced as often as feasible to make sure that basic human dignity is being adhered to,\u201d Levin said in an interview after the visit. \u201cI\u2019m not one that\u2019s just going to take the word of those involved. I\u2019m going to go there and find out for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Otay Mesa is run as a for-profit business by CoreCivic, the country\u2019s largest private prison contractor. Located in San Diego near the US-Mexico border, the facility has the capacity to lock up 1,500 immigrant detainees.<\/p>\n Levin cited a long list of humanitarian concerns about the facility, including medical care, food, access to uninterrupted sleep, family visitation and access to legal counsel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe read all kinds of stories,\u201d Levin said. \u201cWe hear from constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n Levin said his office has repeatedly had problems with detainees struggling to locate and sign privacy waiver paperwork that members of Congress need to help them with their cases. Sara Jacobs, also a Democratic representative, toured the facility with him.<\/p>\n Some 1,037 detainees were locked up at the facility at the time of the visit, Levin said. The vast majority of the detainees he and Jacobs saw wore blue uniforms, indicating that they had no serious criminal histories or behavioral issues.<\/p>\n The members of Congress toured the medical facilities, the dining hall, the on-site courtrooms and the commissary. The facility appeared clean and the food edible, Levin said.<\/p>\n There have also been allegations of rape and sexual assault<\/a> at the detention center, and a recent report from CalMatters<\/a> raised questions about why the San Diego county sheriff\u2019s office had declined to investigate seven claims from<\/a> last year, allowing Otay Mesa staff to handle the cases instead.<\/p>\n Levin declined to comment on the sexual assault allegations until he had a chance to discuss them with the San Diego county sheriff, Kelly Martinez.<\/p>\n