Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez is also mounting a push for an independent environmental study of the detention facility ICE wants to run in San Antonio.
SAN ANTONIO — With the federal government moving ahead on establishing an immigration detention facility in San Antonio sometime next year, a City Council member wants more transparency regarding its local impact as well as how often SAPD is asked to help in federal immigration operations.
District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez filed a pair of Council Consideration Requests calling for those action items to be placed on an upcoming city committee agenda. Earlier this year, San Antonio leaders called for changes to zoning code that would place restrictions on where future detention facilities can operated.
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But the 640,000-square-foot center expected to be established along Southeast Loop 410 by the middle of next year was grandfathered in, and thus doesn’t have to adhere to the new rules. An Atlanta-based company sold the massive warehouse to the federal government earlier this year for $60 million.
Regardless, McKee-Rodriguez wants CPS Energy and SAWS to assess the ripple effects of the center, “including impacts on energy demand, water and wastewater systems, and the potential impact on current and future utility rates for San Antonio customers.”
He also wants the information to be presented in public and for such studies to be standard practice for detention facilities in the Alamo City going forward.
“San Antonio residents should have access to an independent assessment of these impacts and any associated costs before additional detention facilities are approved or expanded,” the policy proposal states.
McKee-Rodriguez’s district includes the area where the warehouse is located. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has publicly opposed the detention facility and has asked federal leaders for clarity on its operations multiple times this year.
His other CCR pertains to transparency in law enforcements operations, specifically the circumstances when San Antonio police are asked to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Earlier this year – in response to an ask by City Council – the department starting sharing information about such requests from ICE.
But those repairs are fairly general, with details limited to the incident date, address, number of SAPD officers who assisted and “personnel and vehicle cost.”
McKee-Rodriguez wants the department to share more, including the “basis” for a traffic stop, detention or law enforcement arrest; how long a person was detained; the detainee’s demographic information; and whether a person stopped in an ICE incident assisted by SAPD “was informed of their constitutional rights.”
The councilman also wants law enforcement to report why someone was asked about their immigration status, should individual cases call for it, and more details about SAPD resources devoted to cases related to federal immigration enforcement.
He’s also calling for transparency on similar information regarding task force operations involving ICE, and what kinds of records the city shares related to ICE operations.
In January, during a special City Council meeting related to ICE operations in San Antonio, then-Police Chief William McManus emphasized SAPD doesn’t enforce federal immigration laws.
“Our role is public safety alone, not immigration enforcement,” McManus said on Jan. 22.
According to SAPD records, ICE has asked for the department’s help in connection with five incidents so far in 2026, and not since June 29.
He added that when SAPD takes enforcement action, it is based on criminal warrants, not civil immigration violations. According to city data, 258 of 1.8 million calls SAPD responded to in 2025 “resulted in reports including the word ‘immigration.'” Of those 258 cases, 161 resulted in no federal involvement.
McKee-Rodriguez’s CCRs are expected to be placed on a Governance Committee at some point; that’s the next step for new policy proposals before they’re handed off to the appropriate next committee.