SOCORRO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Emotions ran high inside Socorro City Hall as dozens of residents packed the room, many in strong opposition to a new detention facility the Trump administration is set to bring to the city.<\/p>\n
Residents raised concerns about how a new facility could affect public safety, city resources and the future of the community. <\/p>\n
One resident, said, \u201cI\u2019m here to speak in strong opposition for any new detention center in our region…it goes directly against the values of the city of Socorro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another speaker called for local leaders to take a stand, saying, \u201cThe time for accountability is now….The county is in position, the city is in position. It\u2019s time for Socorro to take a position.\u201d<\/p>\n
A third speaker warned about strain on city services, saying, \u201cThis is not only going to take an impact on our resources. Limited resources. It\u2019s not only going to make an impact on our officers. But those same officers will be pulled away from our residents.”<\/p>\n
Julia Spencer reports on Socorro council directs attorneys to pursue ordinance blocking detention facilities (Credit: KFOX14)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
RELATED: <\/a>Socorro residents question water capacity after DHS buys nearby warehouses for $122M<\/a><\/p>\n The meeting was standing room only, with residents carrying signs and prepared to speak out against what will soon become a new neighbor in their community.<\/p>\n Public deed records<\/a> obtained by KFOX14\/CBS4 show the Department of Homeland Security bought property for $122 million. <\/p>\n El Paso Congresswoman Veronica Escobar\u2019s office said the property is located along Eastwind Avenue.<\/p>\n The original item on the agenda for the special city council meeting proposed an ordinance that would have established a detention facility services fee for any detention facilities operating within city limits. <\/p>\n Instead, the City Council voted to instruct its legal teams to explore what legal action the city can take to create an ordinance preventing detention facilities from moving into Socorro.<\/p>\n Mayor Rudy Cruz said officials have held back from speaking publicly at times because they wanted to confirm details before sharing information. <\/p>\n \u201cIt does mean no good to stand in front of the camera when I don’t have all of the facts and disseminate information,\u201d the mayor said, adding, \u201cSo before we stand in front of the camera we want to make sure that we have all of the facts recorded and we have correct and concise information that we can disseminate to our people because the last thing that I want to do is give out wrong information.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked how the city found out about the detention center, the mayor said, \u201cWhen I found out about the detention center it was something that we didn’t expect.\u201d <\/p>\n The mayor said there had been discussion naming three possible locations and that officials were waiting for accurate information. <\/p>\n Cruz said the city is operating under the belief that Socorro is the potential or actual site, and raised concerns about communication with the area\u2019s congressional delegation. <\/p>\n