SAN ANTONIO \u2014 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have confirmed that a new immigration detention facility is underway in San Antonio, according to a letter from the department.<\/p>\n
Acting ICE Director David Venturella confirmed the new facility in a June 22 letter to San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the letter, Venturella said the processing facility will hold an estimated daily population of 1,000 to 1,500 people and ICE expects to open it by next year. No contract has been awarded yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to meet these growing demands and ensure ICE can achieve its critical mission of arresting and removing aliens from the United States, ICE is procuring non-traditional facilities that will be retrofit to ICE\u2019s design standards to support the agency\u2019s critical mission. Please note, ICE plans to renovate these facilities to safely, securely, and humanely house detainees,\u201d Venturella said in the letter.<\/p>\n
Jones had previously pressed ICE for details on the rumored facility \u2014 a 614,000 square foot warehouse located at 542 SE Loop 410 Access Road, San Antonio, Texas. She also asked officials to reconsider moving forward with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy community is not interested in hosting an ICE processing facility and believes it will further depress economic activity in a part of town that already struggles to attract economic development,\u201d Jones said in an April 8 letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.<\/p>\n
Jones responded to Venturella\u2019s letter confirming the facility by reiterating her opposition to it and requesting confirmation as to whether the facility has undergone a review process under the National Environmental Policy Act.<\/p>\n
\u201cI expect that DHS and ICE will consider community and stakeholder input before the implementation plan and schedule are completed. I look forward to an extensive dialogue before a vendor is selected so that my community\u2019s concerns may be heard in a meaningful way,\u201d Jones said in the letter.<\/p>\n