The Otay Mesa Detention Center is owned and operated by CoreCivic, a private prison company. This shows it on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in San Diego, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) K.C. Alfred TNS The Otay Mesa Detention Center is now owned by the federal government following a $1.5 billion deal that included a second California immigration detention facility, the private prison operator CoreCivic announced Monday.