{"id":201129,"date":"2026-03-12T08:42:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/201129\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T08:42:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:42:30","slug":"bexar-county-commissioners-formally-oppose-ice-detention-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/201129\/","title":{"rendered":"Bexar County commissioners formally oppose ICE detention facility"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story has been updated.<\/p>\n

Bexar County Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to formally oppose a proposed immigration detention facility on San Antonio\u2019s East Side, approving a resolution<\/a> that leaves the door open to join potential legal challenges against the project.<\/p>\n

The vote marks the governmental body\u2019s first move to publicly oppose the facility. County officials acknowledged that the vote would not stop the facility from coming to fruition, but emphasized the need to signal opposition to the project.<\/p>\n

Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed they purchased a nearly 640,000-square-foot industrial building<\/a> on the East Side known as Oakmont 410 in early February for use as a detention facility. Internal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement documents indicate facility near Loop 410 is expected to be operational by November 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The measure passed with support from County Judge Peter Sakai and Commissioners Rebeca Clay-Flores (Pct. 1), Justin Rodriguez (Pct. 2) and Tommy Calvert (Pct. 4). Precinct 4 Commissioner Grant Moody, the sole Republican on the dais, voted against the resolution.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez said the resolution was crafted through a collective effort to ensure any potential next steps would fall within the county\u2019s legal authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that we can capture all of the emotion and anger and just the consternation we all have about what\u2019s happening in one document with words,\u201d Rodriguez said during discussion of the resolution. \u201cIt\u2019s not perfect, but I think it expresses where we are in terms of opposing this ICE facility in our community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Precinct 2 Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said the resolution ensures any potential actions would fall within the county\u2019s legal authority. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Public opposition\u00a0<\/p>\n

Public comments lasted more than an hour, with dozens of residents urging commissioners to take strong action against the proposed detention center and calling for the county to pursue legal strategies to stop it, despite the limits of county authority over federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

Clay-Flores said that pressure has been impossible to ignore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you want to understand it or not, we do have jurisdiction involved and there\u2019s nothing I can do about people in my own personal life who are sitting in detention centers right now,\u201d she said to the public commenters after they spoke. \u201cNot to mention my own constituents who are dealing with all of the things that you talked about today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clay-Flores said the reality of federal jurisdiction means local officials cannot directly stop immigration enforcement operations, but she said commissioners still have a responsibility to respond to residents\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m not going to do is sit here and mislead you and say that I can do something that I don\u2019t have the power to do,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I fight like mad for what I can do that is within my power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores speaks with County Judge Peter Sakai during public comment on the dais. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Clay-Flores also urged residents to stay politically engaged and vote, and that any lasting changes to immigration policy would ultimately come through the upcoming November elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf everyone in here and everyone listening mobilizes to turn this state blue, we can have different conversations together,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to continue to mobilize. We need to continue to fight, because the work is not yet over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exploring legal options<\/p>\n

Calvert, who represents the area where the facility will be located, said that he has begun consulting with legal groups about possible strategies to push back.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the ICE facility was announced, Calvert traveled to Washington, D.C., in late February to speak with attorneys from\u00a0a number of organizations, including The League of United Latin American Citizens<\/a> (LULAC). The discussion aimed to explore potential legal avenues that could be used to challenge the facility\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Calvert said he plans to speak with another group of what he called \u201ca very exciting group of lawyers in Washington, D.C.,\u201d\u00a0 who he says \u201cwill outline where they think the legal teeth are for Bexar County.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert has been meeting with national civil rights attorneys in Washington, D.C., to discuss possible legal action against the ICE detention facility. Credit: Diego Medel \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

He added that legal action could move forward even if Bexar County ultimately does not participate directly in a lawsuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether or not the Commissioners Court ascribed itself or anchored itself to legal action, I was not going to allow our community, our county, to go unrepresented in the courts where we can find justice,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will pursue that with or without the participation of Bexar County. \u201c<\/p>\n

The effort coincides with moves being made by the City of San Antonio following a February resolution<\/a> aimed at exploring ways the city could push back against the proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. <\/p>\n

The language of the county\u2019s resolution left open the possibility of working with the city on \u201clegal and policy\u201d options, including partnering with residents, businesses and nonprofits to \u201censure the rights of citizens and immigrants are maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n

City officials have already begun exploring zoning changes and a potential moratorium<\/a> aimed at regulating private detention facilities within city limits. The city\u2019s action has drawn criticism from some, including District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte, who called the actions and resolution \u201clargely symbolic.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What could a pushback strategy look like?<\/p>\n

Gabriel Rosales, Texas state director for LULAC, said the group\u2019s strategy to oppose the facility is largely focused on slowing things down while bringing procurement and environmental testing requirements tied to the project under scrutiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working with our friends up in Washington, national civil rights attorneys, to develop that strategy,\u201d Rosales said on a phone call ahead of the Tuesday vote. \u201cIt\u2019s all about litigation and legislation.\u201c<\/p>\n

Rosales added that the organization and its legal advisers have been reviewing the private transaction tied to the project.<\/p>\n

The property was purchased for roughly $66 million<\/a> despite having a Bexar County Appraisal District value<\/a> in the mid-$30 million range, a discrepancy Rosales added has raised questions among advocates examining the deal.<\/p>\n

Calvert also raised questions about the development history of the warehouse, including the stake of Hunt Realty Investments<\/a>, a Dallas-based real estate development firm, and Atlanta-based Oakmont Industrial Group.<\/p>\n

OIG is listed as the seller in the transaction for the East Side warehouse that was purchased by federal officials for use as a detention facility. During the Commissioners Court meeting, Calvert alleged that OIG had divested itself from Hunt Realty Investments just months before the sale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think because of how high-profile these detention centers are, the very famous Hunt family, who helped run the Republican Party out of Fort Worth, didn\u2019t want their fingers on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hunt Realty Investments disputed those claims, saying the company had no involvement with the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, Commissioner Calvert was misinformed in his comments,\u201d said Paul Schulze, a spokesperson for Hunt Realty Investments. \u201cHunt Realty Investments has not played any role whatsoever in this proposed project on San Antonio\u2019s East Side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schulze added that Hunt Realty Investments divested its interest in Oakmont Industrial Group in 2010.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The San Antonio Report has also reached out to OIG for comment.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Oakmont 410 industrial warehouse was recently purchased by the federal government, reportedly for use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Moody, the lone vote against the resolution, argued that the county has little authority over federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

He also cautioned that the county should be mindful of its relationship with federal agencies, noting that Bexar County regularly works with the federal government on issues ranging from military installations to health care and veterans\u2019 services. <\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, I think a lot of this is political posturing setting the stage for belief that Bexar County has any role in this or any responsibility or ability to change the outcome of a federal agency\u2019s decision,\u201d Moody said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story has been updated. Bexar County Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to formally oppose a proposed immigration detention…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201130,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[79318,698,10331,79319,4519,11532,3022,7309,15200,96,79320,4041,79321,1829,15813,79322,1724,61173,31159,36720,13826,79323,79324,63620,82,84,83,4044,92,3028,79325,2001,3440],"class_list":{"0":"post-201129","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-bcad","9":"tag-bexar-county","10":"tag-bexar-county-appraisal-district","11":"tag-bexar-county-commisioners","12":"tag-city-council","13":"tag-city-of-san-antonio","14":"tag-commisioners-court","15":"tag-d-c","16":"tag-detention-facility","17":"tag-east-side","18":"tag-gabriel-rosales","19":"tag-grant-moody","20":"tag-hunt-realty-investments","21":"tag-ice","22":"tag-ice-detention","23":"tag-ice-detention-facility","24":"tag-immigration","25":"tag-justin-rodriguez","26":"tag-league-of-united-latin-american-citizens","27":"tag-lulac","28":"tag-marc-whyte","29":"tag-oakmont-group","30":"tag-project-2025","31":"tag-rebecca-clay-flores","32":"tag-san-antonio","33":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","34":"tag-san-antonio-news","35":"tag-tommy-calvert","36":"tag-top-story","37":"tag-typedaily","38":"tag-u-s-customs-and-immigration-enforcement","39":"tag-washington","40":"tag-wc-1000-1500"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}