A 640,000 square foot ICE facility is set to be built in San Antonio. And mayor Gina Ortiz Jones wants no part of it.
As you can read below, Jones sent a letter to U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with congressional leaders in the San Antonio area, such as Representatives Joaquin Castro, Henry Cuellar, Greg Casar, Tony Gonzales and Chip Roy.
In it, the Mayor asks that they vote against any funding bill that would that would allocate resources for the facility.
“Placing an ICE facility on our Eastside, an already economically depressed part of our community, would further negatively affect the local economy and hamper its ability to attract the type of good-paying jobs our constituents need and deserve,” wrote Mayor Jones. “I welcome a conversation to discuss more strategic ways to enhance the economic development of our city.”
She also spoke out to any supporters of the ICE facility.
"Some have suggested this proposed ICE facilty is a jobs opportunity, and I think that is insulting and inaccurate. I would offer a better way to increase jobsl eliminate the tariffs that have driven up costs in our community, and reverse the proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act."
Earlier this week, five San Antonio councilmembers asked for a vote to censure mayor Jones.