The temporary moratorium \u2014 a strategy championed by Silicon Valley Congressmember Sam Liccardo<\/a> \u2014 comes in response to the federal government\u2019s plan to build a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility that includes detention space on unincorporated land east of Gilroy.<\/p>\n A federal judge last week granted a request<\/a> to pause construction work at the site until a lawsuit against the project<\/a> brought by state and county officials is resolved. However, local leaders fear similar projects could soon follow \u2014 amid a rapid buildout<\/a> of federal immigration detention capacity taking shape<\/a> across the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal here is pretty simple,\u201d San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who signed onto the memo behind the proposal, said at Tuesday\u2019s meeting. \u201cAs we\u2019ve seen down in Gilroy, these projects can be proposed quickly and really without warning, and we have a responsibility as the local authority overseeing land use to protect our residents and exercise our responsibility to ensure human health and safety, and understand and mitigate environmental impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmembers Pamela Campos, Peter Ortiz, Bien Doan and Domingo Candelas also signed onto the policy memo.<\/p>\n Backers say the development pause is a necessary stopgap\u00a0to buy the city time to draw up a more thorough policy response. As things stand, San Jose has no specific land use or zoning rules governing privately run detention centers, officials said. Without additional safeguards in place, they warn the city would have little opportunity to influence such projects when they arise.<\/p>\n Revelations about the planned immigration center<\/a> near Gilroy first surfaced in May\u00a0and ignited a firestorm of concern in the Bay Area. Opponents fear the project could enable the Trump administration to expand immigration enforcement operations in the region.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Republican-dominated Congress recently approved a massive spending package<\/a> to support President Donald Trump\u2019s immigration agenda that includes $45 billion to fund the creation of new immigration detention facilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alarmed by such developments, several residents urged councilmembers to adopt the moratorium as a means of protecting\u00a0local immigrants.<\/p>\n \u201cOur city has the power, but most importantly, it has the duty to protect the safety of every person that lives here,\u201d Misrayn Mendoza, an organizer with San Jose nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe,\u00a0said at the meeting. \u201cEspecially right now, when so many of our community lives in fear.\u201d<\/p>\n Policy push takes shape<\/p>\n So long as the moratorium remains in place, the city will cease to process applications for detention center development projects on private land, though the measure carves out a number of narrow exceptions.<\/p>\n During the pause, staff will conduct a policy review that could lead to updates to San Jose\u2019s zoning code and permitting processes.<\/p>\n For now, the measure does not cover detention center projects on public land because state and federal properties do not fall under San Jose\u2019s jurisdiction to regulate, officials said. However, in the face of public pressure, Mahan asked staff to draft an amendment expanding the measure to include public lands as well. That proposal could go before council in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n Officials warn private detention centers pose numerous\u00a0concerns for city planners. For example, the developments could add extra demands on local water resources, the sewage system, traffic infrastructure and emergency services.<\/p>\n The nature of the facilities themselves also raise alarms.<\/p>\n A memo outlining the moratorium plan cites blueprints<\/a>, first reported by San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight,\u00a0for the South County ICE facility that include plans for detention and processing areas, weapons and ammunition rooms and tactical equipment storage areas. Such facilities may force the city to contend with additional \u201coperational and safety considerations\u201d beyond those involved with typical commercial sites, officials contend.<\/p>\n A broader strategy<\/p>\n San Jose\u2019s moratorium marks an early attempt to apply a playbook for opposing immigration facilities developed by Liccardo. In August, the former San Jose mayor unveiled a \u201ctoolkit\u201d<\/a> that provides policy and legal guidance for\u00a0local governments. The package includes a model policy\u00a0similar to the measure San Jose just passed.<\/p>\n Past attempts to outright ban immigration detention centers, such as a statewide measure signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019, have not held up in court. But Liccardo contends states and local governments have had more success leveraging land use regulations \u2014 governing things like fire safety, environmental impacts and infrastructure capacity \u2014 to block such projects.<\/p>\n Two other Bay Area jurisdictions, San Mateo<\/a> and Napa<\/a> counties, have also taken steps to advance similar moratoriums following Liccardo\u2019s August announcement.<\/p>\n
![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789599609_514_interactive-321838904008.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n