Hundreds marched through San Antonio’s East Side to protest a proposed ICE detention facility, with local officials including Tommy Calvert, Ron Nirenberg, and Joaquin Castro leading the demonstration and calling for legal action against the project. Calvert plans to ask Bexar County to sue the federal government over the facility, citing concerns about environmental compliance and the property’s purchase price.
- The Oct. 3 march covered 2.5 miles from Davis Middle School to the proposed ICE facility at 542 S.E. Loop 410.
- Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert intends to request legal action against the ICE facility at the Oct. 13 Commissioners Court meeting.
- City Attorney Andy Segovia is reviewing legal options after ICE missed a Sept. 30 deadline to respond to city questions about the project.
- Calvert highlighted a discrepancy between the warehouse’s appraisal ($37.6 million) and ICE’s purchase price ($66.1 million).
- ICE plans to use the warehouse to detain and process 1,000 to 1,500 people and states it will comply with laws and work with city officials.
Calvert, Nirenberg and Castro Lead East Side March as Legal Fight Over ICE Facility Grows
Hundreds of protesters marched through San Antonio’s East Side Saturday morning, taking their opposition to a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility directly to the warehouse federal officials plan to convert into a massive processing center.
The Oct. 3 “March for Freedom and Justice” began at Davis Middle School before protesters traveled roughly 2.5 miles along East Houston Street toward the nearly 640,000-square-foot warehouse at 542 S.E. Loop 410. The crowd included residents, immigration advocates, faith leaders and elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro and Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert.
Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg also joined the demonstration and was seen marching alongside Castro and Calvert at the front of the crowd.
But Saturday’s demonstration came with a more specific demand than previous protests, where organizers want San Antonio and Bexar County to consider taking the federal government to court.
Calvert Wants Bexar County to Join Legal Fight
Calvert, whose precinct includes the proposed facility, told marchers that he plans to ask Bexar County officials to pursue legal action when Commissioners Court meets Oct. 13.
“Last night, I was so heartened to hear Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones announce her support for the city of San Antonio to sue,” Calvert told the crowd. “And on October 13, I’m asking the district attorney and the commissioners court to do the same thing.”
Jones announced Friday that City Attorney Andy Segovia is reviewing possible legal options after ICE failed to respond by a Sept. 30 deadline to questions from the city about the project.
Several City Council members have also called for the city to examine the proposed facility’s potential impact on CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System and have publicly supported exploring litigation.
Calvert has focused particularly on whether the federal government complied with requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, pointing to legal challenges that have delayed similar detention projects elsewhere.
He is also questioning the federal government’s purchase of the East Side property. The warehouse was appraised by the Bexar County Appraisal District at approximately $37.6 million but was purchased by ICE for $66.1 million.
“We want an investigation into how there were well over $30 million more paid for that ICE detention center than it was appraised for,” Calvert said Saturday.
Castro Joins East Side Protest
Castro joined protesters Saturday one day after hosting a congressional field hearing in San Antonio examining the proposed facility and the broader effects of increased immigration enforcement.
That hearing brought together state lawmakers, local officials, immigration attorneys and faith leaders, including state Sens. Roland Gutierrez and José Menéndez, state Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran and Father Jimmy Drennan of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church and COPS/Metro Alliance.
More than 200 people attended the hearing, according to COPS/Metro, where Castro argued the proposed East Side facility would bring the consequences of the administration’s immigration enforcement policies closer to San Antonio neighborhoods.
“The proposed Eastside detention facility would extend these abuses deeper into our community,” Castro said. “Dilley trailer prison camp has locked away thousands of children and families without proper medical care, food, or schooling.”
During Saturday’s march, Castro called for the East Side facility not to open and invited President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit San Antonio Wednesday, to tour the immigration detention facility in Dilley.
“You all feel the change coming in Texas. You see what’s coming, and it’s long overdue,” Castro told demonstrators. “The leaders of this state have abused the people of Texas for too long, and people have had enough, and they’re ready for a change.”
ICE has said the facility would comply with applicable laws and regulations and that the agency would work with city officials and utility providers on design and engineering issues. The agency plans to use the warehouse to process and detain as many as 1,000 to 1,500 people.
COPS/Metro, which helped organize the march, has outlined three demands: an end to mass deportations, protections for San Antonio families and a halt to the proposed East Side ICE detention center.
With the city attorney now reviewing possible legal action and Calvert preparing to take the issue before Commissioners Court, Saturday’s march could mark a turning point.
