San Antonio filed a lawsuit in federal court Tuesday to halt the proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility under development on the East Side, City Attorney Andy Segovia told reporters during a City Hall press conference.
In the suit, the city accuses the Department of Homeland Security of breaking federal law by skirting the National Environmental Policy Act. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1970, NEPA requires all federal agencies to conduct environmental reviews before work on any project can begin.
“We don’t take filing a lawsuit lightly,” Segovia said. “We reached out [to DHS] several times. We tried to engage with them to make sure they would take the necessary steps to comply with the law. It looked like they weren’t going to respond to us at all, and so that’s why we’re taking the action we’re taking today.”
The city is seeking a temporary injunction, meaning all work on the massive warehouse at 542 SE Loop 410 Access Road would stop until DHS and ICE complete an environmental review.
“If there are visible signs that they’re starting work at the site, we will ask for an emergency hearing to put that work to a stop,” Segovia said.
San Antonio has joined the ranks of U.S. municipalities that have sued the federal government over its construction of ICE facilities. Others include Salt Lake City; Roxbury, New Jersey; Newport, Oregon; and Washington County, Maryland.
Most of City Council joined Segovia at the press conference. Only District 4 Councilman Ed Mungia, District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears and District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte were absent.
Mungia told the Current he couldn’t attend because of a doctor’s appointment, but added that he supports filing the lawsuit.
However, Spears and Whyte have expressed concern over the lawsuit. Whyte has specifically said he’s worried the legal action will amount to a costly and futile effort.
Segovia said it is unclear how much the lawsuit will cost the city until the federal government responds.
Even so, Jones pushed back on concerns about the price tag, arguing that one can’t put a price on humanity.
“You tell me: what is the price tag on respect?” Jones told a reporter who asked about the expense.
Jones said the ICE prison camp in the South Texas town of Dilley shows the problems a San Antonio lockup would bring.
“We have seen what is happening,” the mayor added. “Unsanitary conditions, understaffed medical folks, outbreaks of measles. We do not need that in San Antonio. So, we will pursue this legal action.”
The lawsuit comes after outlets including the Current have reported extensively on dismal conditions inside Dilley’s South Texas Family Residential Center.
In August, pediatric critical care physician Dr. Anita K. Patel characterized the conditions at that facility as “child abuse.” Earlier this month, Texas Immigration Law Council Director of Policy and Legal Services Kristen Etter testified at a hearing led by U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro that women being held in ICE facilities were being sexually assaulted by officers.
“Whether you call it a detention center or a processing center, our community does not want a concentration camp anywhere in our country, much less our city,” said District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who represents the district where ICE plans to open the facility.
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
