The planned facility is located in an unincorporated area right outside Gilroy.<\/p>\n
San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight obtained the blueprints after first reporting\u00a0on public records<\/a> that gave an incomplete picture of the planned facility. The records originally suggested there would be a 4,000-square-foot detention center with office space. The total square footage of the project is roughly 20,000 square feet, with construction already underway and workers spotted on-site with fencing around the property.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County leaders are reviewing their legal options to stop the project, which they said is being built in an area not zoned for such a facility and without any notification or procedures in accordance with local laws.<\/p>\n \u201cWe oppose any effort to build an immigration detention facility anywhere in our county or across the Bay Area,\u201d County Counsel Tony LoPresti told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cOur County Counsel\u2019s Office has a long track record of protecting our immigrant community against unlawful attacks by the federal government. Our office has been evaluating this project closely since activity began on the site in recent weeks. We are in touch with the Attorney General\u2019s Office and are reviewing legal options. We will seek to prevent any effort to disregard or flout any applicable law to build a detention facility.\u201d<\/p>\n Community organizers said they\u2019ve been monitoring the site for months. They\u2019ve also been holding meetings on how to oppose the facility and protect their undocumented neighbors.<\/p>\n \u201cWe oppose any expansion of ICE regardless of what it is,\u201d Rebeca Armendariz \u2014 a former Gilroy councilmember and organizer with Bay Resistance, the ICE OUT Coalition and Community Agency for Resources, Advocacy and Services \u2014 told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cHundreds of community members, from the Central Coast to the Bay, have already been activated and we are going to mobilize. If ICE is listening \u2014 get out.\u201d<\/p>\n ICE previously denied plans for a facility at the location. After San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight asked about the project blueprints, the agency described the project as an \u201cICE office\u201d and denied it being a detention facility.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new Gilroy office will enable ICE to support local operations and enhance coordination with regional partners to ensure the enforcement of federal immigration laws at the operating standards of other offices nationwide,\u201d an ICE spokesperson told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n When reached for comment, a DHS spokesperson repeated a prior statement circulated to media.<\/p>\n \u201cAs with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals,\u201d the spokesperson told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cAs Secretary (Markwayne) Mullin said in his confirmation hearing: \u2018I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the president set out \u2026 We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners.’\u201d<\/p>\n Representatives for Long Beach-based Environ Architecture, a firm identified in the blueprints, did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n A DHS representative previously declined to confirm the plans, but generally said it will be expanding detention space nationwide.<\/p>\n The revelation of the facility has sent shockwaves through neighboring regions. Monterey County officials in May voted to review their land use policies<\/a> to block any future proposed site within their jurisdiction. They also voted to join any lawsuit Santa Clara County files against the Gilroy project \u2014 and to send a letter to federal authorities opposing it. Most recently, the Gilroy City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the facility at its Monday meeting.<\/p>\n Federal procurement records show<\/a> a contract for the facility was awarded Jan. 8, 2025 to an LLC with the same mailing address<\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0Elmwood Capital Group<\/a>, a Beverly Hills-based real estate firm\u00a0tied to another immigration facility proposal<\/a> in Texas. The notice identified Holsclaw Road as the Santa Clara County facility\u2019s location. County property records show<\/a>\u00a0Elmwood Capital Group assumed ownership of the Holsclaw Road address last year, just weeks after the federal contract award. The\u00a0company website lists the Holsclaw Road location<\/a> \u2014 incorrectly labeled as San Jose \u2014 in its portfolio of projects.<\/p>\n Research has shown<\/a> that communities near ICE facilities see upticks in enforcement activity and higher rates of arrests. Research also shows it creates\u00a0a chilling effect<\/a> on the public life of undocumented people \u2014 be it reduced school attendance<\/a> or missed medical appointments<\/a> for immigrant families and mixed-status households.<\/p>\n \u201cSanta Clara County will vigorously fight in court any proposal to build the machinery of mass deportation in our community,\u201d District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who represents the area where the project is planned, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n Advocates have raised similar alarms in Dublin, where federal officials are preparing to transfer ownership of a former East Bay prison. The move raises concerns that Dublin might also be the site of a facility for federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County has historically been a leader on local jurisdictions\u2019 resistance to federal immigration crackdowns. The county led a coalition<\/a>, which included San Francisco, suing to stop attempts to cut funding to cities and counties who declare themselves sanctuaries for people without citizenship. The county has also taken steps to coordinate real-time responses<\/a> to ICE operations and ban immigration authorities<\/a> from using county property for enforcement activity.<\/p>\n \u201cAny type of ICE facility \u2014 whether it be a processing center or a large-scale warehouse-style detention center \u2014 in Santa Clara County endangers our neighbors and threatens our shared values of welcoming and belonging,\u201d District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cWe oppose all efforts to fast-track this administration\u2019s deportation machine, and we will fight together with and for our community to protect the well-being of all those who call the Bay Area home.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-03-at-2.20.32-PM-1024x506.png\")
A screenshot of part of the blueprints for the ICE facility planned near Gilroy.<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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