SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is moving forward with plans to open a large-scale detention and processing facility here, awarding a $17.3 million contract to GardaWorld Federal Services despite vocal opposition from city officials and activist groups.
The contract, announced Thursday, covers renovations to a warehouse exceeding 600,000 square feet on the city’s east side — a property ICE purchased in February for more than $66 million. The initial fixed-price agreement runs through August 25, 2027, with the full $17.3 million committed for the first year. The multi-year delivery order, listed on the federal contracting database SAM.gov, is capped at slightly more than $1 billion.
GardaWorld will provide comprehensive wraparound services required at ICE-contracted facilities, including detainee care and safekeeping, facility management and administration, food service operations, armed transportation, and security — all in line with ICE detention standards. The facility is expected to hold up to 1,500 detainees awaiting deportation.
Mayor’s Plea Falls Short
The move comes after San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones made a direct appeal to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to reconsider the project. In a letter sent in April, Ortiz Jones wrote, “My community is not interested in hosting an ICE processing facility.” She also criticized ICE for failing to formally notify the city about its purchase of the warehouse at 542 SE Loop 410 Access Rd.
“Despite numerous attempts, neither my office nor the city staff have received formal notification regarding ICE’s reported purchase and potential use of a 640,000+ square foot warehouse,” the mayor wrote.
The mayor’s office has not indicated any further legal or legislative steps to block the facility since the contract award.
Protests and Security Measures
Local activist groups, including the San Antonio chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), have held protests at the site in recent months, urging ICE to abandon the project. According to Breitbart Texas, which attended the demonstrations, the protests prompted ICE to install perimeter security fencing to keep protesters off federal property.
Despite the opposition, the agency has moved forward, citing the site’s strategic advantages. The warehouse is located less than 15 miles from San Antonio International Airport, which offers easy access to ICE aircraft for detainee movement and removal. It is also within five miles of Brooke Army Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, and near nearly 30 other hospitals in the area.
Additionally, several land ports of entry are less than 200 miles away in Eagle Pass and Laredo, providing what ICE calls “land repatriation opportunities.”
The contract award marks a significant step in operationalizing the facility, which is expected to become one of the larger ICE detention centers in Texas.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/09/01/ice-moves-forward-with-massive-detention-facility-in-san-antonio-over-objections-from-mayor/