SAN ANTONIO – Community concern about a forthcoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility on the East Side largely dominated discussion at an East Side town hall this week.
On Thursday evening, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez hosted the forum.
In a statement to KSAT confirming the purchase of the building, which appears to be a commercial warehouse, ICE said the building would be a “very well-structured” detention facility.
The property was purchased for over $66 million by the United States of America, according to documents released by the Bexar County Clerk’s Office.
The buyer’s address was listed as the ICE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., the documents said.
The building sits near residential neighborhoods and community spaces. Within a few miles are multiple schools, grocery stores, churches and other community hubs.
Many District 2 residents leveled questions at the pair about why the city has not stepped in to stop the planned detention center.
McKee-Rodriguez said the city’s hands were tied, since federal buildings are not required to follow city zoning rules.
“I hate officials passing the buck just as much as everyone else. I was very frustrated when we all found out about this ice facility,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
The town hall comes a week after an onslaught City Council meeting earlier this month, in which council weighed several options as to how to stop the facility. Though it remains unclear how much they can actually do.
Ongoing illegal dumping continues to be an everyday issue for residents, and it was also up for discussion Thursday.
“I personally have used the 311 app, (and) it works sometimes, it doesn’t work sometimes,” a resident at the town hall said. “I just checked my app, there is a case of illegal dumping that was opened April of last year (and) it’s still pending. So, what are we doing?”
A city spokesperson at the meeting said the city wants to identify illegal dumping hotspots and “get to the root of the problem.” The spokesperson encouraged residents to call or use the 311 app to report activity.
In November 2025, KSAT reported on an East Side woman who, after reporting dozens of illegally dumped truck tires in an alley behind her property to the city, was allegedly told by city staff that they were still her responsibility to clean up.
However, after KSAT helped to remove some of the tires and a phone call with a spokesperson for the city’s Development Services Department, the city cleared the alleyway.
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