California has taken legal action against the Trump administration to prevent the construction of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility in Santa Clara County, alleging that federal officials failed to follow required administrative and environmental procedures.
The lawsuit, submitted Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks a court order to halt the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the property owner from proceeding with an 18,700-square-foot facility near Gilroy. The site, known as the Holsclaw Property, was leased to the federal government last year by a Beverly Hills real estate developer and is expected to detain up to 150 individuals, according to court documents.
“The administration is trying to jam through a new facility on a community that does not want it, bulldozing over laws, shrouding their plans in secrecy, and ignoring calls from the community to stop,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said during an afternoon press conference.
Blueprints obtained by the San Jose Spotlight earlier this month reveal detainee processing areas, offices, a fitness center, visitation and interview rooms, shower facilities, and a food storage room. Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti expressed concern over the facility’s intended use, stating, “We have reason to believe it’s a facility designed to temporarily hold detained individuals before shipping them off to larger detention facilities.”
State and local officials argue the 24.5-acre rural parcel is unsuitable for such a facility. The complaint notes a history of hazardous material spills on the property and warns that construction could “permanently destroy the ecosystem, habitat, and agricultural value” of land zoned exclusively for agricultural use. “The proposed facility is not only flatly inconsistent with the property’s designation for exclusive agricultural use but lacks the appropriate wastewater and other infrastructure necessary to support a holding facility and is known to contain hazardous materials that may expose detainees—including children—to unacceptable health and safety risks,” the complaint states.
The plaintiffs allege the Trump administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act by skipping an environmental impact assessment and failed to comply with other state and federal laws by not seeking community input. This legal challenge comes amid broader tensions between California and the administration over immigration enforcement, including controversies like Spike Lee’s decision to bar ICE from Knicks Finals celebrations amid the Trump immigration crackdown.
LoPresti said California is seeking a court injunction that “puts a stop to the project and requires compliance with the law.” He added, “The truth is we shouldn’t have to wait for the court to act with the facts out in the open and full vision into the impacts. The federal government has everything it needs to know to just walk away from this project.”
The Hill has reached out to DHS for comment. The case adds to a series of legal battles between California and the Trump administration, including a lawsuit by Wisconsin dairy farmers over checkoff fees used for ESG goals.
