The property was sold to the federal government by an Atlanta-based real estate company for $66 million.
SAN ANTONIO — Residents living on San Antonio’s east side are worried about the potential impacts of an ICE detention center operating in their own backyard.
Chuck Slaughter, president of the Black Independent Voters Association, was joined Thursday morning by a handful of people opposed to the ICE facility in the parking lot of the property off Southeast Loop 410.
The 640,000-square-foot facility was purchased by the federal government for $66 million from an Atlanta-based real estate company called Oakmont Industrial Group, according to court records.
Slaughter’s concerns prominently lie with the safety of his neighbors and the migrants who may end up at the detention center.
“The type of people that’s going to be put in this facility. Some of the world’s most dangerous criminals, the MS-13s, people like that,” Slaughter said.
At the same time, Slaughter feels sympathetic toward migrants who’ve been unjustly detained by federal law enforcement and stripped of their due process rights.
“There’s a better way to do it then being so brutal about it,” Slaughter said. When I grew up in America, America to me was known as a humanitarian type country.”
Ramped up ICE operations across the country have sparked heightened tensions and criticism about law enforcement’s tactics when carrying out arrests of migrants suspected of being in the country illegally.
Renee Good, a mother of three and intensive care nurse Alex Pretti were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minn. following confrontations amid a major immigration enforcement operation. Their deaths prompted protests and calls for accountability by the federal government.
Glen Brooks, who lives minutes away from the future ICE detention center, echoed Slaughter’s thoughts on safety. Across the highway is a school and apartment complex. Not far from the property are numerous businesses.
“They (ICE) just treat people wrong. There’s no humanity at all. The reason why I’m concerned is because these are our children and seniors. Bringing something in this area could bring a lot of effects in this area. I believe we should have done something more prominent in our area instead of neglecting our neighborhood.”
Brooks also questions the wholeness of real estate investors, including the one involved with the sale of the east side property.
“It’s all about the money in the pocket but think about the people, that’s number one,” Brooks said.
One woman who didn’t want to be named, fears an escalated presence of ICE could lead to discriminative interactions with neighbors.
“Definitely don’t want ICE people coming out in our neighborhoods misunderstanding who we are. They might have accents but they might still be American citizens,” she said.
In a statement, an ICE spokesman said in part:
“ICE purchased land and a facility in San Antonio, Texas. These will not be warehouses — they will be very well structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards. Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”
ICE officials did not provide a timeline for when the east-side property will begin functioning as a migrant detention center.