ICE Moves Forward With East Side Detention Center Despite Community Opposition

A nearly 640,000-square-foot warehouse on San Antonio’s East Side is one step closer to becoming a federal immigration detention center, despite months of opposition from local officials and residents.

We previously reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had pushed back the opening of its planned East Side detention center until 2027; now, the project is moving ahead despite Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’s objections, putting new attention on what the facility could mean for nearby neighborhoods, families, and schools.

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On August 28, the San Antonio Express-News reported that ICE awarded a $17.3 million renovation contract to GardaWorld Federal Services. The company will convert an agency-owned warehouse into a facility expected to hold between 1,000 and 1,500 people per day while their immigration cases are processed.

The contract signals that ICE is moving ahead with the project after Mayor Jones, City Council members, state lawmakers, and residents called on the federal government to reconsider the location.

What Is ICE Planning on the East Side?

ICE purchased the vacant warehouse at 542 S.E. Loop 410 for $66.1 million in January. The 639,595-square-foot building sits on nearly 40 acres in District 2.

Although earlier ICE communications pointed to different possible opening dates, the agency told Jones in a June letter that it expected the center to open “next winter.” ICE said it needs additional detention space to respond to an increase in arrests and promised the building would be renovated to safely and humanely house detainees.

The agency also said it would review design plans with state and local officials and allow community stakeholders to raise concerns. 

Why Are Local Officials Opposed?

Mayor Jones has argued that the detention center could discourage investment on the East Side. This area has historically struggled to attract the same level of economic development as other parts of San Antonio.

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district includes parts of San Antonio, has presented a different economic outlook. He said in February that the project could bring $125 million to the community and create 1,200 jobs at first, followed by 325 permanent positions. Mayor Jones disputed that assessment, arguing that a detention facility would drive away other forms of development.

District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez has also questioned whether the site and its surrounding infrastructure are suited to a facility of this size. Residents and local leaders have raised concerns about the site’s proximity to homes, schools, parks, and places of worship.

Can the City Stop the Facility?

San Antonio has limited authority over the project because the warehouse is owned by the federal government.

In April, the City Council voted 9-2 to change local zoning rules, requiring City Council approval before most new detention facilities can open within 1,000 feet of homes, schools, parks, or places of worship. Developers must also notify the city of their plans and obtain a special zoning designation.

Those requirements can restrict privately operated detention centers, but they don’t apply to property owned or leased by a federal agency. That means the changes won’t block ICE from opening the Loop 410 facility.

How Does This Connect to Detention Concerns Across South Texas?

The San Antonio project is moving forward as another immigration facility in the region faces scrutiny over its treatment of children.

The Dilley Immigration Processing Center, about 75 miles south of San Antonio, is the nation’s only detention center for immigrant families. According to a Texas Tribune analysis of federal data, more than half of about 3,000 detained children were held longer than the 20-day limit during the first year after the facility reopened in March 2025, and at least 60 children were detained for 100 days or more.

While Dilley is a separate facility, and those findings don’t establish what conditions will be like at the planned San Antonio center, they still raise concerns about oversight, living conditions, and transparency across the region

For now, the newly awarded renovation contract gives the city its clearest indication yet that ICE intends to open the East Side facility. Local officials say they will continue exploring oversight measures, but the federal government retains the authority to move ahead.