California Sues US to Prevent Creation of New ICE Detention Site

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sued the US to block the creation of a new ICE detention site in Northern California, claiming it violates federal and state laws.

Bonta and Santa Clara County, in a federal court complaint filed Wednesday allege the federal government leased the property near Gilroy, Calif., about 35 miles southeast of San Jose, the county seat, for use as an enforcement and removal operations office without conducting required environmental reviews or consulting with state and local officials. Such offices have faced lawsuits over overcrowding, long-term confinement, and inhumane conditions during the Trump administration.

“Under this Administration, we’ve seen ICE offices have become mini-detention centers, despite being unequipped for long-term holding,” Bonta said in a press release announcing the suit lodged at the US District Court for the Northern District of California. “That’s unacceptable.”

Neither ICE nor the US Department of Homeland Security immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit seeks to permanently halt construction, arguing it violates laws including the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to assess environmental impacts, the Immigration and Nationality Act by using inappropriate detention facilities, and the agricultural land protections of California’s Williamson Act. The facility’s “rushed” construction threatens to destroy protected agricultural land and strain local infrastructure, Bonta said.

The California Department of Justice, the Santa Clara County Office of County Counsel, and Shute Mihaly & Weinberger LLP represent the plaintiffs.

The case is Santa Clara County v. DHS, N.D. Cal., No. 5:26-cv-05604, complaint 6/10/26.