ICE detention facility planned near Gilroy, CA sparks legal opposition

Detailed blueprints reveal a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility with detention, processing, interview, and holding rooms planned at 7240 Holsclaw Road in unincorporated Santa Clara County outside Gilroy. The 111‑page document shows a roughly 20,000‑square‑foot complex, including spaces for mothers with infants, visitation rooms, weapons storage, tactical equipment, offices, and a fitness center. Construction is already underway, with workers and fencing observed on site.

Santa Clara County officials say the project is built in an area not zoned for such a facility and are reviewing legal options to stop it. County Counsel Tony LoPresti said, “We oppose any effort to build an immigration detention facility anywhere in our county or across the Bay Area.” Community organizers, including former councilmember Rebeca Armendariz, have been monitoring the site and plan to mobilize residents, stating, “We oppose any expansion of ICE regardless of what it is.”

ICE has described the site as an “ICE office” and denied it is a detention center, while a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson noted the agency is expanding detention space nationwide. The revelation has drawn attention and criticism from neighboring regions.