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San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said Friday she supports legal action to halt the conversion of an East Side warehouse into a 1,500-person immigration processing center, saying federal officials failed to respond to the city’s latest request for information.
The Oct. 2 statement signals an escalation in the mayor’s opposition to the project by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security.
“For months, the City of San Antonio has requested information regarding ICE’s intentions to utilize an Eastside facility as an ICE processing center,” Jones said in a written statement.
She said a Sept. 30 deadline for the latest inquiry passed without a response.
“Therefore, I support legal action to halt all activities related to renovating the Eastside facility into a 1,500-person ICE processing center,” Jones said. “The City Attorney is reviewing options in that vein and will provide an update when appropriate.”
Her statement did not announce a lawsuit, identify potential defendants or specify the legal grounds the city might pursue.
ICE purchased the warehouse at 542 S.E. Loop 410 for $66 million in January. The agency has said the facility would hold between 1,000 and 1,500 people during immigration proceedings. In a June letter to Jones, ICE said it would review designs with city officials and utilities, invite community concerns and renovate the building to safely and humanely house detainees.
ICE subsequently awarded GardaWorld a roughly $17 million contract to renovate the warehouse and provide services, according to Texas Public Radio reporting.
Jones’s statement did not specify what action city attorneys will recommend and when they might act.
Jones’ announcement comes one day before a planned protest march. Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert and Father Jimmy Drennan, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church and a COPS Metro organizer, have urged local officials to examine environmental compliance and other possible grounds for challenging the project.
Calvert reacted to Jones's statement as a positive development in his efforts to halt the ICE detention center in his district.
“The Coalition of 80 plus organizations stands ready to support the mayor and City Council and/or the County suing using NEPA and other federal laws to hold the Trump administration responsible for taking shortcuts in violation of federal law," Calvert said in a statement to TPR.
"I would caution the council and county to stay focused on federal laws the administration must uphold and not get distracted in studies of utilities that the federal government can ignore as they have done to us all year," he said.
"We are the last city and county to sue in the nation and the only city with an ICE facility moving forward," Calvert said.
San Antonio’s debate comes as federal court challenges in other communities have delayed or halted similar ICE warehouse detention projects.
Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County sued DHS and ICE in June, alleging that federal officials failed to follow environmental review and consultation requirements before planning a detention center that could hold up to 10,000 people. Local officials raised concerns about water supplies, sewer capacity, traffic and public safety resources.
Federal officials subsequently abandoned that conversion plan.
The city of Romulus, Michigan, joined its state government in suing DHS and ICE in March over another proposed warehouse conversion. In June, city officials announced that the detention facility was unlikely to be placed there.
Maryland separately secured an April preliminary injunction blocking the conversion and operation of a warehouse near Williamsport while its lawsuit proceeded.
Also on Friday, five San Antonio City Council members called for an urgent special session to discuss a proposed assessment of how the East Side ICE detention facility could affect the city’s public utilities, SAWS and CPS Energy.
Council members Sukh Kaur, Phyllis Viagran, Teri Castillo, Marina Alderete Gavito and Ivalis Meza-Gonzalez issued the joint statement requesting that Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones convene the session “as soon as possible.” They said the council should discuss a policy request for an assessment detailing potential utility impacts.
“Public utilities belong to the public. Any community impact for this project requires analysis,” the council members said.
The five expressed concerns about potential harm to residents, infrastructure and the environment.
They also accused federal officials of disregarding community concerns and questioned whether the project complies with federal law. Their statement did not identify a specific legal violation or provide findings from a completed infrastructure assessment.
“Our democracy only works if government follows the same rules as the people it serves,” they said.
The council members explicitly endorsed exploring litigation, adding to calls for a stronger city response to the proposed facility.
“We Councilmembers fully support the City doing everything in its power — including litigation avenues — to preserve our city’s humanity and compassion towards all people,” they said.
Jones’ announcement and the five council members' joint statement came on the eve of a protest march organized by Calvert and Drennan.
The Saturday, Oct. 3, demonstration was planned to press city and county leaders to take a stronger stance against the East Side project, including pursuing a lawsuit. Organizers said participants would gather at Davis Middle School on East Houston Street at 8 a.m. and begin walking toward the ICE property at 9 a.m.
Speaking Monday on TPR’s “The Source,” Calvert said the march was intended to pressure local government attorneys “to sue.”
Calvert urged officials to examine environmental compliance, water and sewer capacity, and opportunities for public participation. Drennan described the planned demonstration as "peaceful and prayerful."
Calvert has also acknowledged that a challenge could slow the project and require federal officials to follow applicable procedures without necessarily preventing the detention center from opening.
