Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert has announced an Oct. 3 march opposing a planned ICE migrant detention center on San Antonio’s East Side after the federal agency awarded a $17 million contract to convert a warehouse into the facility.
Calvert said the march will oppose the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, which he said San Antonians do not want in the community. He did not immediately provide additional details about the event.
GardaWorld, a Canada-based security company, won the ICE contract Aug. 27 to renovate the 640,000-square-foot warehouse and operate the facility. The planned center could hold up to 1,500 people when it opens in July 2027.
The Department of Homeland Security purchased the property earlier this year in the 400 block of SE Loop 410. The facility sits within Calvert’s precinct.
Calvert has joined other local leaders, including Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, in opposing the project.
Calvert also criticized the federal spending, calling the project a potential waste of taxpayer money. He said the warehouse was designed for storage rather than housing people and argued that the detention center could affect East Side property values and limit economic development opportunities.
In March, Calvert joined a majority of the Bexar County Commissioners Court in approving a resolution opposing the facility. The resolution cited concerns about conditions reported at similar detention centers, including inadequate medical care, unsafe conditions, disease and poor food quality.