City manager outlines ICE data posting, trainings and proposed code changes to regulate private detention facilities
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Summary
City Manager Maria told the council the city has posted regional ICE activity data to its website, rolled out staff training, and posted proposed Unified Development Code amendments to regulate private detention centers; staff also outlined options for a community reporting mechanism and a possible justice fund, with further briefings planned.
City Manager Maria provided the San Antonio City Council an update on actions tied to a February resolution directing the city to evaluate strategies related to federal immigration enforcement and the use of private detention facilities.
Maria said the city has linked regional ICE activity data to its website so residents can view reports that ICE publishes and emphasized the data are regional rather than San Antonio-specific. "We have linked the ICE report to the city's website under the compliance opportunity and access web page," Maria said.
She said departments with public-facing facilities — including libraries, human services, parks and recreation, metro health and development services — have begun in-person trainings coordinated by human resources and the city attorney’s office to prepare staff for response protocols if ICE enters a city facility; training for remaining departments is ongoing.
On the matter of private detention centers, Maria told council that staff have posted proposed changes to the Unified Development Code (UDC) for a hearing on April 16 and that Assistant City Manager John Paterik will brief councilmembers one-on-one next week on the redline language. "The UDC piece has gone before the zoning commission this week," Paterik said, noting that staff can share the draft immediately.
Maria said the city is also evaluating a reporting mechanism so community members can log alleged rights violations, and the city is assessing whether the platform should be hosted by the city or a third party. She said legal criteria for a proposed justice fund to support nonprofits or victims of ICE activity are under evaluation and would be reported to council by April 15; any budgetary impact would be considered in the FY27 process.
On procurement and compliance work, Maria said teams are evaluating several implementation options to present to the Economic Workforce Development Committee in May, and the city is conducting assessments of facility compliance with federal law, including environmental requirements. She also said the city team is coordinating with the federal delegation about incorporating legislative requests into the city's federal agenda.
Why it matters: The council directed staff to explore measures aimed at protecting residents and limiting local support for private detention operations. The UDC change would create a local regulatory pathway to restrict or manage siting and operation of private detention facilities; the reporting tool and legal analysis of a justice fund would shape what the city could offer victims or affected nonprofits.
Next steps: Staff will post the presentation materials to the city's Compliance, Access and Opportunity Office web page, brief councilmembers on the UDC redline, and return with legal criteria and budget implications for the justice fund by the timelines noted in the update.
