SOCORRO, Tx., March 12, 2026: Yesterday, State Representative Vince Perez (D-77) sent a copy of a letter to the news media that he sent to the El Paso water utility on Tuesday. In the letter, Perez argues that the water needs for the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility cannot be properly supported. Last month, it was revealed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had purchased warehouse space in Socorro for an immigration detention center.
The City of El Paso, El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and County officials have publicly denounced the proposed ICE detention facility. Socorro Mayor Rudy Cruz told El Paso Herald Post last month that Socorro “retains the authority to protect public health, safety, and welfare” for any facility in Socorro. He added that Socorro will “advocate for adequate…water capacity” and other requirements to ensure the facility is safe. Cruz said that Socorro will ensure there are adequate fees so that the costs are “not shifted unto Socorro residents.”
Perez’s letter provides an analysis of water requirements for the facility that the El Paso County Lower Valley District Authority (LVWD) would be obligated to provide the proposed facility. The LVWD receives its water from the El Paso Public Service Board (PSB) which manages the water supply in the region under a 1989 contract.
Citing the agreement and an analysis of past water needs, Perez estimates that the facility would require an estimated 850,000 gallons per day, increasing LVWD’s water daily requirements to 7.2 million gallons, or a 13% increase.
Citing drought conditions, Perez writes that the El Paso’s water utility would be forced to provide more water without first identifying “a new water supply to support it.”
El Paso water users saw a rate increase of around $10 a month in January. The water utility cited the need to “water supply,” among other needs.
Drought conditions in El Paso are considered “abnormally dry” currently by federal officials.
We asked Perez what it would cost El Paso’s water users if the proposed ICE detention facility was built. In a text yesterday, Perez explained “that’s the heart of the issue” – the cost to the ratepayers.
According to Perez, the 1989 agreement has two primary provisions, “1) it can’t deplete El Paso’s groundwater supply and 2) it can’t impose a cost to El Paso ratepayers.”
The issue, explained Perez, “is whether the lower valley water district is acquiring and dedicating enough water to meet the obligations” of its contract with the PSB.
Perez does not believe the LVWD is meeting its obligations to provide land for its water needs, even before taking into the account the proposed ICE facility. Perez wrote that “the PSB board needs to take a hard look at whether LVWD is truly dedicating enough land to match how much water is being consumed today.” He added if LVWD is not dedicating enough land for its water needs than “they are taking from our groundwater.”
According to Perez, El Paso’s water utility recently voted to send a “legal notice” to LVWD stating that “it is likely very close to the limitations” of the agreement.
Perez writes that he believes his letter and the actions by the PSB “will likely help LVWD convey its capacity issues to potential large customers,” like the proposed ICE facility.
At the end of the day, Perez writes that there “needs to be a lot more transparency and accountability” to ensure the LVWD isn’t “taking from our groundwater supply.” “We need to ensure that our region can remain competitive in attracting entities that can bring job opportunities,” he wrote, suggesting that the opportunities for the region would be impacted if there is not enough water for “future growth opportunities.”
Perez’s letter comes at the heels of another letter sent by the Texas House of Representatives. The March 10 letter sent to the PSB is signed by 48 House representatives including Perez. Of the El Paso delegation, Perez was joined by Eddie Morales, Jr. (D-74). Mary González (D-75), Joe Moody (D-78) and Claudia Ordaz (D-79) did not sign the Texas House Caucus letter.
James Talarico (D-50) also signed the letter. He recently defeated Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30) to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. Talarico will face the winner of the runoff between incumbent John Cornyn and Ken Paxton in the November midterms.
The Caucus letter also raised concerns about the water usage for the proposed ICE detention facility. According to the letter, the proposed detention facility estimated water usage “is twice the average daily water usage expected from the recently announced Meta Datacenter in Northeast El Paso.”
Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is building a $1.5 billion AI datacenter in Northeast El Paso. The datacenter is expected to go online sometime in 2028. Since it became public, the datacenter has attracted strong opposition in El Paso. Among the concerns over electricity use includes the water resources that the datacenter will need to operate, adding pressure to El Paso’s water supplies.
In addition to limiting potential economic growth and pressuring water supplies, the proposed ICE facility offers limited job opportunities to El Pasoans and does not contribute to the taxbase because it does not pay property taxes.
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