EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso City Council is set to discuss a proposal next week that would direct the city manager and city attorney to draft a plan aimed at preventing ICE detention facilities from being established within city limits.
The initiative seeks to explore legal and policy options to block such centers, involving coordination with El Paso County and El Paso Water.
Emily Schmalz reports on El Paso City Council to discuss plan to block ICE detention centers (Credit: KFOX14)
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City Representative Lily Limon highlighted a proposed 8,500-bed ICE facility in Clint as an example of the scale of projects they aim to prevent.
“So even though this facility—an 8,500-bed facility—is scheduled to go into Clint, it’s important to understand that 8,500 is about half of the population of San Elizario,” Limon said.
She emphasized the need for clear standards to ensure El Paso can reject similar projects.
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“And so if we can set up some standards and say, you know, we don’t need dungeons and we don’t need dark holes—we need open spaces—then we can come up and say that we will be able to say no,” Limon added.
The council’s discussion will not result in a final policy decision but will direct city staff to begin drafting a plan.
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