Otero County Prison is for Private Facility offenders have not been sentenced yet and are detained here until their case is heard.
All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for State - medium facility.
The phone carrier is IC Solutions, to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.
If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders
Located in Chaparral, NM, Otero County Prison operates as a private contractor with various government agency agreements providing state-minimum custody requirements. Programs are offered to all custody levels, including work release residents focused on reentry success. With a strong emphasis on rehabilitation, Otero County Prison provides comprehensive educational and vocational opportunities. Onsite amenities include dietary, health, fitness, educational, religious, and recreational services. Regular inspections ensure compliance with government standards, ensuring the facility's continued operation.
The Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, is one of the most prominent immigration detention facilities in the Southwest and houses ICE detainees under contract with the Department of Homeland Security. The detention center is operated by Management & Training Corporation (MTC) under agreements involving ICE and Otero County. Unlike a traditional county jail overseen directly by a sheriff, the facility functions as a privately managed federal immigration detention center, although the property itself is owned by Otero County. The center sits near the Texas-New Mexico border region just outside El Paso, placing it in one of the busiest immigration enforcement corridors in the country.
The facility can house more than 1,400 detainees and inmates, making it one of the largest immigration detention complexes operating in New Mexico. ICE detainees held at Otero County Processing Center are generally individuals awaiting asylum hearings, deportation proceedings, immigration bond determinations, or transfer to other federal detention sites nationwide. In addition to ICE detainees, portions of the broader prison complex have historically housed federal inmates and New Mexico Department of Corrections prisoners under separate agreements. The center’s large bed space and proximity to the southern border have made it a major long-term detention location for DHS immigration enforcement operations throughout the Southwest.
ICE Detainee Information
This facility holds immigration detainees under an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in addition to its regular population. ICE detainees are civil immigration detainees, not criminal defendants, and are held while their immigration cases are processed. The rules, rights, and services that apply to ICE detainees differ from those that apply to the general jail population.
To locate an ICE detainee at this facility, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. You will need the detainee's A-Number, a nine-digit Alien Registration Number that appears on any immigration document they have received. If the A-Number has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the beginning. If you do not have the A-Number, you can search using the detainee's full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. Names must be an exact match; try variations if the first search returns no results.
Immigration bond works differently from criminal bail. Not all detainees are eligible for bond; those with certain criminal convictions or prior deportation orders may be subject to mandatory detention. For those who are eligible, the bond is set by an immigration judge and typically ranges from $1,500 to over $10,000. Bond must be paid in full before release. An immigration attorney can request a bond hearing and argue for a lower amount based on the detainee's circumstances.
Unlike criminal defendants, ICE detainees do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney. They must hire a private immigration attorney or find free legal help through a nonprofit organization. RAICES provides legal services and bond assistance at raicestexas.org. The National Immigrant Justice Center offers free legal representation at immigrantjustice.org. Many immigration courts also maintain a list of free and low-cost legal service providers available to detainees upon request.
ICE transfers detainees between facilities frequently and with little advance notice, sometimes to locations far from family and legal counsel. If you cannot locate your family member through this page, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator again at locator.ice.gov with their A-Number. If they have an attorney, notify the attorney immediately as transfers affect court appearances and case timelines.
One of the most distinguishing features of the Otero County Processing Center is the extensive controversy surrounding detention conditions at the facility. Immigration advocacy organizations, attorneys, and federal oversight groups have repeatedly criticized the center over allegations involving inadequate medical care, mental health treatment concerns, prolonged detention, due process violations, and detainee abuse claims. Reports issued by civil rights organizations described the facility as one of the most heavily scrutinized ICE detention centers in New Mexico. The center also became nationally known during the federal family separation crisis after some separated immigrant parents were detained there while immigration cases proceeded through federal courts.
Operationally, the Otero County Processing Center functions as a secure federal immigration detention environment focused on long-term civil detention and large-scale detainee processing. Staff members oversee detainee intake, medical evaluations, attorney visitation, commissary operations, housing classification, transportation logistics, and federal detention compliance requirements tied to ICE standards. Because the facility is located in a relatively isolated desert region near military ranges and border enforcement routes, transportation operations are heavily integrated into federal detainee movement systems across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The center also processes detainees appearing before immigration courts tied to the El Paso immigration court system.
Today, the Otero County Processing Center remains one of the most operationally significant ICE detention facilities in the Southwest due to its massive capacity, strategic border-region location, and long-standing role within federal immigration enforcement operations. The facility has become central to ongoing legal and political battles in New Mexico over the future of immigration detention contracts involving counties and private prison operators. County officials have defended the center as an economic driver supporting hundreds of jobs and county revenue, while critics continue demanding the closure of privately operated immigration detention facilities statewide. Its combination of large-scale ICE detention operations, private management, repeated controversy, and remote desert location has made Otero County Processing Center one of the most recognizable immigration detention facilities in the United States.
