Posted on 09/14/2026 5:32:45 AM PDT by Red Badger
Efforts to build an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Gilroy have hit a snag after a federal judge ordered construction on the building to be paused owing to the 24-acre site being in possible violation of multiple laws concerning immigration and the environment.
As ABC7 reports, the Friday ruling was issued after both sides delivered arguments in US District Court. Back in June, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County both announced their intent to challenge the construction of a new ICE facility at a site east of the Gilroy Premium Outlets.
In a statement, Bonta reiterated that "no one is above the law — not even the federal government."
"The Trump Administration tried to rush construction of this facility in secret, ignoring environmental safeguards and shutting out the communities that would bear the consequences," Bonta's statement continues. "This ruling sends a clear message: California will hold the federal government accountable and protect our communities, our environment, and the rule of law."
As Mission Local reported earlier, Judge Eumi K. Lee previously ruled to temporarily block construction for a week before reaching this present decision. ABC7 notes that a final resolution on the matter is not expected until October.
Recent coverage of ICE has also included SFist reporting on ICE holding more than 25 immigrants at SFO for multiple days, an ICE agent losing their gun at the same airport, and their choice to detain and deport right-wing provocateur (and British citizen) Milo Yiannopoulos last month.
Related: ICE Has Held 25 Immigrants at SFO For More Than Three Days In 2026, In Violation of Policy
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
Gilroy...
Known for Garlic.
Do we need federal judges?
They aren’t in the U.S. Constitution
Congress can limit the lower courts powers.................
The objections to the site are laughable. "Environmental" -- what a laugher!!
Below is an overview of the site. That part of Gilroy around US-101 is heavily built up but with a lot of ag land east of the freeway. The first photo shows the proximity of the "Gilroy Premium Outlets" to the detection center site. The second photo zooms in on the site to show the existing buildings there. It is already a commercial facility that will be similar to the detention center:
The existing structures at 7240 Holsclaw Road form a former agricultural research and seed-testing campus on a 24.5-acre parcel. They consist of:
The property was built around 1982 and had been used for decades for agricultural research and seed work (previous occupants included companies such as Rogers Seed Co. and Eurofins TestAmerica). Court filings note that some smaller greenhouse frames had already been dismantled by mid-2026 as work began on the site. The parcel is otherwise surrounded by orchards, crop fields, and Llagas Creek.
Mr. President, NYS has closed a number of prison recently, including one supermax.
Upstate would be delighted if you would make use of any or all of those.
Actually, "USED" to be known is more correct these days.
Christopher Ranch, the largest U.S. fresh-garlic grower, is headquartered in Gilroy. They still farm in the Gilroy a little bit. In 2026 they are bringing in more than a million pounds a day to their Gilroy packing and storage facilities. Most of the garlic acreage has shifted north and into the San Joaquin Valley over the years because of climate and land-use changes, so Gilroy is no longer the sole or even the largest growing district.
Now there's some irony!! "Land-use changes" pushed garlic out of Gilroy, but we can't have any "land-use changes" that would allow an ICE Detention Center there. No-siree.
No garlic in Gilroy? That million pounds a day of garlic mostly comes from the Central Valley. They still plant a little in the Gilroy–Hollister–San Juan Bautista area, but the majority comes from the San Joaquin Valley. In 2019, Christopher Ranch was down to few hundred acres in the greater Gilroy area out of ~5,500–5,900 total acres.
But the Garlic Festival lives on! It actually started a year after I settled in the Bay Area and I've never been to it! The first Gilroy Garlic Festival was held August 3–5, 1979 and the inaugural three-day event drew about 15,000 people. It would have been nice to attend back in those days.
And when Congress fails to act, then it is using Proxies to attack the Executive.
Proxy Federal Judges are part of the failure of Checks and Balances.
Color me surprised.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.