Federal immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) activity was confirmed in Kyle and Buda on Thursday, Jan. 15, according to city officials.
Thursday morning, federal immigration enforcement agents told the city of Buda “they intended to temporarily park a transport vehicle at City Hall as a central location while conducting their own operations in surrounding areas.” However, the city requested that the bus be relocated to free up parking and the agents complied, according to a city of Buda Facebook post.
Both the city of Buda and the Buda Police Department are not involved in the operations, the post further stated.
According to a Kyle Police Department Facebook post, at around 7:45 a.m., the Hays County Sheriff’s Office received a call from Homeland Security/ICE asking for ambulance assistance for an individual detained by federal authorities. KPD were notified of the request and went to the scene to provide support to EMS. The detained individual was taken to the hospital by EMS with the accompaniment of Homeland Security personnel.
The post stated that both the city of Kyle and the Kyle Police Department were not involved in the operation or any other ICE operations and were not made aware of the operation prior to the 911 dispatch request.
Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra commended the cities of Buda and Kyle for their “leadership in moments like this,” in two Facebook posts.
“When federal activity creates uncertainty, speaking plainly and confirming facts is not easy–but it is the most helpful thing a city can do,” Becerra stated in his posts.
Russell Wilde, public safety communications specialist for the city of San Marcos, told The Star that in the past, San Marcos Police were notified of immigration enforcement efforts happening in the city, but have not been advised of any happening today.
“To my knowledge, [SMPD] has not been advised of any immigration enforcement taking place in the city today,” Russell wrote. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t immigration enforcement activities taking place in the city.”
This is a developing story. The University Star will provide updates as they become available.
