Mayor on City Filing Legal Action Regarding the Proposed ICE Facility

Published on October 13, 2026

SAN ANTONIO (October 13, 2026) – Today, the Mayor released the following statement on the City of San Antonio filing legal action this morning regarding the proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility planned for San Antonio’s East Side:

“For months, my office and City staff have requested basic information that the people of San Antonio are owed, to include: How do you intend to comply with the NEPA review, how do you intend to use the City’s permitting processes, and how do you intend to solicit and consider in good faith the people’s feedback?” said Mayor Jones. “We received no answers. Instead, the people of San Antonio learned in the media that ICE awarded a $17M contract to GardaWorld, the contractors responsible for Alligator Alcatraz. That is unacceptable.” 

The Mayor continued, “Our community deserves basic answers, as we read about unsanitary conditions, insufficient medical care, unsafe food and water in other ICE facilities—not just across the country—but less than 75 miles from here at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, for example. 

“This is about respecting the law and our community. San Antonio is done waiting. I appreciate the City Attorney and his staff’s efforts to file suit today.”