This story has been updated.
Bexar County Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to formally oppose a proposed immigration detention facility on San Antonio’s East Side, approving a resolution that leaves the door open to join potential legal challenges against the project.
The vote marks the governmental body’s 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.
Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed they purchased a nearly 640,000-square-foot industrial building 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.
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.
Rodriguez said the resolution was crafted through a collective effort to ensure any potential next steps would fall within the county’s legal authority.
“I don’t know that we can capture all of the emotion and anger and just the consternation we all have about what’s happening in one document with words,” Rodriguez said during discussion of the resolution. “It’s not perfect, but I think it expresses where we are in terms of opposing this ICE facility in our community.”
Public opposition
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.
Clay-Flores said that pressure has been impossible to ignore.
“Whether you want to understand it or not, we do have jurisdiction involved and there’s nothing I can do about people in my own personal life who are sitting in detention centers right now,” she said to the public commenters after they spoke. “Not to mention my own constituents who are dealing with all of the things that you talked about today.”
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’ concerns.
“What I’m not going to do is sit here and mislead you and say that I can do something that I don’t have the power to do,” she said. “But I fight like mad for what I can do that is within my power.”
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.
“If everyone in here and everyone listening mobilizes to turn this state blue, we can have different conversations together,” she said. “We need to continue to mobilize. We need to continue to fight, because the work is not yet over.”
Exploring legal options
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.
Shortly after the ICE facility was announced, Calvert traveled to Washington, D.C., in late February to speak with attorneys from a number of organizations, including The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). The discussion aimed to explore potential legal avenues that could be used to challenge the facility’s development.
On Tuesday, Calvert said he plans to speak with another group of what he called “a very exciting group of lawyers in Washington, D.C.,” who he says “will outline where they think the legal teeth are for Bexar County.”
He added that legal action could move forward even if Bexar County ultimately does not participate directly in a lawsuit.
“Whether 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,” he said. “We will pursue that with or without the participation of Bexar County. “
The effort coincides with moves being made by the City of San Antonio following a February resolution aimed at exploring ways the city could push back against the proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.
The language of the county’s resolution left open the possibility of working with the city on “legal and policy” options, including partnering with residents, businesses and nonprofits to “ensure the rights of citizens and immigrants are maintained.”
City officials have already begun exploring zoning changes and a potential moratorium aimed at regulating private detention facilities within city limits. The city’s action has drawn criticism from some, including District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte, who called the actions and resolution “largely symbolic.”
What could a pushback strategy look like?
Gabriel Rosales, Texas state director for LULAC, said the group’s 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.
“We are working with our friends up in Washington, national civil rights attorneys, to develop that strategy,” Rosales said on a phone call ahead of the Tuesday vote. “It’s all about litigation and legislation.“
Rosales added that the organization and its legal advisers have been reviewing the private transaction tied to the project.
The property was purchased for roughly $66 million despite having a Bexar County Appraisal District value in the mid-$30 million range, a discrepancy Rosales added has raised questions among advocates examining the deal.
Calvert also raised questions about the development history of the warehouse, including the stake of Hunt Realty Investments, a Dallas-based real estate development firm, and Atlanta-based Oakmont Industrial Group.
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.
“I 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’t want their fingers on it,” he said.
Hunt Realty Investments disputed those claims, saying the company had no involvement with the project.
“Unfortunately, Commissioner Calvert was misinformed in his comments,” said Paul Schulze, a spokesperson for Hunt Realty Investments. “Hunt Realty Investments has not played any role whatsoever in this proposed project on San Antonio’s East Side.”
Schulze added that Hunt Realty Investments divested its interest in Oakmont Industrial Group in 2010.
The San Antonio Report has also reached out to OIG for comment.
Moody, the lone vote against the resolution, argued that the county has little authority over federal immigration enforcement.
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’ services.
“Ultimately, 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’s decision,” Moody said.
