ICE Activity in Texas

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Senate Bill 8: Mandatory ICE Cooperation

Texas Senate Bill 8 took effect January 1, 2026, requiring every county sheriff in a county with a population over 100,000 to apply for a 287(g) agreement with ICE by December 1, 2026. Under 287(g), trained local officers can perform federal immigration enforcement functions — from checking immigration status of jail inmates to assisting with field arrests, depending on the agreement type.^[1]

SB 8 provides three models of cooperation:

• Jail Enforcement Model (least aggressive) — Deputies question inmates about immigration status inside the jail
• Warrant Service Officer — Deputies serve ICE warrants on inmates already in custody
• Task Force Model (most aggressive) — Officers assist with street-level immigration enforcement

Counties that fail to apply face potential lawsuits from the Texas Attorney General. The law effectively ends the ability of Texas counties to function as sanctuary jurisdictions.^[2]

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Enforcement by the Numbers

Texas accounts for roughly one quarter of all ICE arrests nationwide. Key statistics from January 2025 through March 2026:^[3][4]

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Mega-Detention Facilities

Texas is at the center of a $38 billion national plan for expanded immigration detention.^[5] Three major facility developments are underway:

Camp East Montana (El Paso)

The nation’s largest ICE detention facility, a tent structure at Fort Bliss holding ~2,954 detainees per day. A detainee died in January 2026 — the El Paso medical examiner ruled it a homicide (asphyxia due to compression). A measles outbreak infected 14+ detainees. As of March 4, ICE is reportedly drafting termination of the $1.2 billion contract.^[6]

San Antonio East Side Warehouse

ICE purchased a 640,000-sq-ft warehouse at 542 SE Loop 410 for $66 million (appraised at $37M). Planned as a 1,500-bed processing facility, operational by November 2026. City Council voted 8–2 to explore moratorium on detention facilities but acknowledged ICE doesn’t need local approval.^[7]

El Paso / Clint Mega-Facility

DHS purchased warehouses near Clint for $123 million, planning an 8,500-capacity facility. El Paso City Council moved to reject it, and Socorro is also blocking. The three reinforced concrete warehouses total ~888,000 sq ft.^[8]

Hutchins (Dallas) — Blocked

DHS identified a 1-million-sq-ft warehouse in Hutchins (pop. 6,000) for 9,500–10,000 beds. After intense community opposition, property owner Majestic Realty Co. rejected the sale on February 16.^[9]

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Economic Impact

ICE enforcement is having measurable economic consequences across Texas, particularly in the construction industry:^[10]

• 38.6% of Houston-area construction workers are foreign-born noncitizens (Census Bureau)
• Construction loans in affected regions down ~30% year-over-year
• 92% of construction businesses struggling to fill positions (AGC survey)
• 28% of construction firms directly affected by ICE raids
• Supply chain companies reporting sharp revenue declines; some filing bankruptcy
• Arbor Realty Trust reports ICE activity directly impacting apartment occupancy in Houston, SA, and DFW
• 1 in 7 Houston-area residents personally know someone detained or deported (Rice/Kinder Institute survey)
• Among Hispanic Houstonians: 25% know someone detained

“There has to be some sort of warrant that needs to be presented when these federal agents show up to construction sites. And there’s no warrants being presented.” — Mario Guerrero, South Texas Builders Association

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Community Response

Student Walkouts (January–February 2026)

Thousands of Texas students walked out of schools across the state to protest ICE operations. Walkouts occurred at campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso. The protests were triggered in part by the January 7 fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Texas AG Paxton launched investigations into three school districts, and TEA threatened penalties including possible state takeover.^[11]

January 30 National Shutdown

Texas saw some of the largest participation in the January 30 National Shutdown. Hundreds marched in San Antonio (Travis Park), Houston (Galleria), El Paso, Dallas, and Austin. The nationwide strike called on supporters to stay home from work and school.^[12]

Faith-Based Response

In DFW, 40 multi-faith clergy formed CLEAR (Clergy League for Emergency Action and Response), operating a respite center behind the Dallas ICE field office serving 50–100 people daily. In El Paso, Bishop Mark Seitz led hundreds in a march calling mass deportations a “war on the poor.” Dallas faith leaders were central to blocking the Hutchins detention facility.^[13]

Bexar County Judge Sakai

On January 24, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai compared ICE raids to Japanese American internment camps, drawing national attention.^[14]

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Key Incidents (Statewide)

Sources

1. TPR: New law requiring Texas sheriffs to work with ICE goes into effect ↑
2. NBC News: Texas vowed to cooperate with ICE. Big-city police face difficult choices. ↑
3. KERA News: As immigration officials ramp up arrests in North Texas ↑
4. NBC 5 DFW: Dallas ICE ERO says it makes the second highest number of arrests in the country ↑
5. Axios: ICE reveals $38B plan for immigrant mega-jails ↑
6. Texas Tribune: ICE moving toward closing Camp East Montana ↑
7. KSAT: ICE confirms purchase of East Side warehouse ↑
8. El Paso Matters: DHS buys warehouses for $123M mega-detention center near Clint ↑
9. FOX 4: Texans block ICE detention center sale in Hutchins ↑
10. Texas Standard: Construction site ICE raids hurting economy ↑
11. Texas Tribune: AG Paxton probes three school districts over ICE walkout protests ↑
12. KSAT: Hundreds march in San Antonio as part of nationwide protest against ICE ↑
13. Presbyterian Outlook: Faith leaders form rapid response network in Dallas ↑
14. KSAT: Bexar County Judge Sakai compares ICE raids to Japanese American internment ↑