SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s city council is preparing for a significant battle against the establishment of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the East Side area. This proposed location has raised concerns among council members and the local community, who are determined to block the opening of a warehouse intended to process and detain individuals.
The timeline for this fight remains uncertain, but city officials are moving quickly to gather information that could support their cause. Recently, the San Antonio City Council voted 9-2 to request that city-owned utilities, including the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) and CPS Energy, assess the potential impacts of the planned facility, which has a capacity for 1,500 detainees.
Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), who has been vocal about the need to prevent the facility from opening, expressed his commitment to taking action. “Every step that I take is to ensure that ultimately it is next on the list to be removed as a potential detention facility,” he stated. The resolution aims to arm the council with data and resources to inform a possible legal challenge against the facility.
The council’s opposition to the facility stems from concerns over its impact on the community. ICE purchased the 640,000 square-foot warehouse for $66.1 million earlier this year and subsequently awarded a $17.3 million contract to GardaWorld Federal Services LLC to renovate it into a processing and detention center. This contract has reportedly expanded to $61.8 million.
As part of the legal process, the city has requested that ICE engage in a consultation process and conduct an environmental review. On September 9, the city’s development services director reached out to acting ICE Director David Venturella, emphasizing the need for ICE to comply with legal requirements. However, as of last week, the city had not received a response.
Councilmember Melissa Jones voiced her support for potential legal action, citing concerns about transparency and troubling reports from other detention facilities. “I support legal action to halt all activities in light of the lack of transparency and in light, frankly, of the very concerning reports that we’ve seen at other facilities,” she remarked. She noted that pursuing legal action could proceed without a council vote, as many members are in favor of swift action.
The council plans to discuss another resolution on October 15 to coordinate community efforts aimed at preventing the ICE facility from being established in the urban core of San Antonio. McKee-Rodriguez expressed hope that legal action would be underway by that time.
However, not all council members agree with the proposed legal action. The council’s two conservative members, Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10), voted against the recent resolution. Whyte argued that a lawsuit would waste resources and questioned the rationale for delaying the process.
In addition to the city council’s efforts, Bexar County Commissioners are scheduled for a closed-door briefing on October 13 regarding the legal review of the planned federal detention facility, indicating that the controversy surrounding this issue is far from resolved.
