In McAllen, residents of the Rio Grande Valley gathered on Monday to express their concerns about the potential establishment of an immigrant detention center in their city. They confronted city commissioners, calling for transparency and a firm stance against the facility.
McAllen resident Alexis Saenz voiced her apprehension, stating, “I want to continue being proud of all that my city does for our community, but for that, we need transparency and we need communication. I demand you reject public funding, approvals, and local resources for ICE.”
Saenz was one of nine individuals who spoke during the city commission meeting, all opposing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. A warehouse in an industrial area of McAllen, located less than five miles from the Anzalduas International Bridge, emerged as a possible site in a list that circulated online in February.
This local opposition is part of a broader trend, as residents across the country, including in Texas, are urging their local officials to leverage their authority to prevent or discourage ICE from using warehouses for immigrant detention.
Another potential site identified is a facility in the Dallas area. In February, the owner of the facility, Majestic Realty Co., confirmed inquiries about a possible sale but emphasized that they had no intentions of entering into any arrangements with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for its use as a detention center.
Despite the identification of the McAllen warehouse, details regarding ICE’s intentions remain scarce. At the end of March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) halted the acquisition of warehouses pending a review of contracts established under former Secretary Kristi Noem.
City officials in McAllen have yet to receive any communication from the federal government regarding the prospective facility. Mayor Javier Villalobos, in a message, stated he had not been approached about the matter.
Isaac Amani Newman, co-founder of For the People Alliance—a civic engagement organization—asserted that raising awareness among elected officials and prompting public discussion is crucial to potentially halting the ICE facility’s development. The organization previously organized residents to oppose a proposed data center near Harlingen and successfully advocated for a resolution against such projects.
“We need to know where our city leaders even stand on this to begin with,” Newman remarked after the public comments were made.
Following the residents’ statements, city commissioner Rudy Castillo admitted he was unaware of the issue until the meeting but expressed his support for including the potential ICE facility on the agenda for further discussion. “I’m glad people came out. Our voice will be heard if we speak,” Castillo stated.
