Immigrant advocacy groups are protesting the expansion of Southern California’s largest immigrant detention center, arguing the federal government should instead be directing resources to children seeking asylum.

The sprawling detention complex in the high desert town of Adelanto has the capacity to hold 1,300 men. The construction project underway will add 650 beds, including a women’s housing unit.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the expansion is necessary in order to meet demand for more bed space in the Los Angeles area. According to ICE spokeswoman Virgina Kice, the agency seeks whenever possible to house detainees near the area of their arrest.

But opponents have raised questions about conditions at the Adelanto facility, saying detainees have reported receiving inadequate healthcare and poor quality food. The center’s remote location 40 miles north of San Bernardino also makes it difficult for attorneys and families to visit, they say. 

Immigrant advocates have long opposed a federal quota that requires the government to pay for 34,000 beds in detention centers each night. They say the government should not be spending to expand its detention system for immigrants, especially as the country grapples with how to house a recent influx of asylum-seeking minors from Central America.