The San Antonio City Council on Thursday hearing public comments and discussing their legal options to oppose a planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on the city's East Side.
That comes after the federal government purchased a 640,000-square-foot warehouse near Loop 410, with intentions to convert it into the facility. When complete, that facility is expected to house up to 1,500 ICE detainees, which drew strong opposition from locals at the meeting.
One person asked if anyone would agree to building a prison next to a school or parks, following up with "so why are you okay with an ICE warehouse?" Another commenter called it akin to a "concentration camp."
Not all who spoke though were against the plan. One speaker warned the council about interfering with the project, adding "local government does not have the authority to police or impose mandates on federal institutions."
As for the council, they discussed their legal options to combat the facility. Among those options were assessing the compliance with environmental laws and considering a moratorium on non-municipal detention facilities. But the more controversial idea to emerge was the proposal to create city policies that bar city contracts being made with businesses that support ICE.
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez urged aggression on the legal front, saying city leaders should "push right on it" as far as legally possible.
No formal action was taken on Thursday night by the council. They instead directed city staff to research the legality and effectiveness of the discussed strategies.
Photo: Getty Images