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Socorro council hears hours of opposition to proposed DHS detention facility, directs city attorney to investigate ways to block it
Summary
Hundreds of residents urged Socorro leaders to oppose a proposed Department of Homeland Security facility; after extended public comment the council voted to deny consent agenda items and directed the city attorney to investigate legal and ordinance options to prevent detention centers in the city.
Socorro city leaders heard more than an hour of public testimony Tuesday night as residents, faith leaders, attorneys and county officials urged the council to oppose a proposed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detention facility at city-owned-adjacent warehouses.
El Paso County Commissioner Eliana Olegin, who said she first learned of the proposed facility on Jan. 20, told the council the county had already received more than 200 public comments opposing the project and is forming a task force to coordinate a regional response. "We will also be forming a task force to bring together all of our community partners as only by standing together can we hope to stop this facility from coming to our—" Olegin said, urging the city to consider ordinances that would forbid detention facilities within city limits.
The sentiment at the meeting was consistent: speakers raised concerns about human-rights abuses at other regional facilities, the strain a large detention operation would place on local water and sewer systems, and reduced access to legal counsel for detained people. Rosemary Sandoval told the council she had reviewed local zoning and cited "Section 46-170" while urging the city to look closely at water usage and health impacts. A speaker who identified herself as a licensed plumber, Luis Sandoval, warned that the warehouse plumbing and sewer infrastructure would not support thousands of additional occupants.
Advocates and legal experts urged the council to act despite limits on municipal authority over federal property. "Under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, municipal governments such as the City of Socorro have no authority over federal detention facilities," Mayor (as identified in the meeting) said in opening remarks, adding that the city should nonetheless pursue accountability from federal representatives and avoid diverting local taxpayer resources to operate such a facility. Former county attorney Joanne Bernal and retired Department of Justice attorney Eduardo Castillo each urged the council to explore legal avenues to challenge or restrict the project where possible.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and other advocates cited documented abusive conditions at nearby facilities, including a December letter documenting alleged beatings, medical neglect and three deaths at Camp East Montana. Local service providers also warned the council that detention facilities consume large amounts of water and energy, resources that the community said are already scarce.
After public comment, councilmembers debated procedural items tied to the consent agenda. Councilmember (speaker 12) moved to deny the consent agenda and to direct City Attorney Martinez to prepare an ordinance and to investigate methods "to stop any and all ICE detention centers in the City of Socorro." The council reconsidered the consent item to allow item-specific public comment and then carried the renewed motion on a voice vote. The meeting minutes record the motion as carried after members responded "Aye." The motion directs the city attorney to examine legal and ordinance options and to report back; the transcript does not record a numerical roll-call tally.
What happens next: Council directed staff to research avenues for restricting or opposing detention centers, including models others have used; the city did not adopt a binding ban at the meeting. Several speakers urged the council to place a formal ordinance on the next council agenda and to act quickly. The council adjourned after taking the direction.
Sources and attributions: quotes and claims in this report come from speakers at the Socorro City Council meeting on the recorded public comment and subsequent council proceedings, including El Paso County Commissioner Eliana Olegin, Rosemary Sandoval, Joanne Bernal, Eduardo Castillo and public commenters representing ACLU of Texas and local immigrant-advocacy organizations.
The council's directive is investigatory in nature: it instructs the city attorney to explore legal pathways and draft potential ordinance language. The transcript does not record the detailed content of any draft ordinance, nor does it record a final, enforceable ban; the city attorney's next report and any ordinance text will be the determinative steps for policy change.
