The El Paso City Council met on February 3, 2026, from 10:07 a.m. to 9:12 p.m., covering proclamations, extensive public testimony, and action on numerous agenda items. Key highlights included proclamations honoring local organizations, a directive to develop a plan to prevent ICE detention facilities within city limits, approval of street resurfacing contracts totaling over $55 million, and several audit acceptances.
Approved with revisions: excusing Representative Boyar Trejo, revising a fire department item (replacing "public safety" with "Office of the Governor"), moving items to the regular agenda, deleting items per council members, and amending a contract renewal limit from 60 to 90 days.
Item 34 (ICE Detention Facilities): Over 30 speakers addressed the council. Students from Eastwood High School (Alisa Aguirre, Zaley Buck, Leilani Davis, Sofia Gutierrez) presented a petition with over 1,200 signatures gathered in 48 hours, urging opposition to new ICE detention centers. Many community members, including social workers, attorneys, activists, and faith leaders, described inhumane conditions at existing facilities and called for action. Notable speakers included:
Call to the Public: Topics included a drug house complaint (3628 Wickham), animal cruelty (pigeon trapping, cat deaths), enforcement of a rooster covenant, proposals for disc golf courses at Paul Harvey and HT Ponsford parks, recognition of BorderRAC's work during a water main break, and concerns about city spending and abortion.
Other Items: Heidi Sowens (Short-Term Rental Alliance) supported item 27; Patricia Osman raised concerns about Project Bravo contracting; Michael Bray spoke in favor of the short-term rental definition.
Item 27 – Short-Term Rental Definition: Unanimously approved after a three-year collaborative process between staff, the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors, and the El Paso Short-Term Rental Alliance. The new definition clarifies short-term rental regulation.
Item 30 – City Manager Contract Authority: Failed 2-3. Would have raised the city manager's contract award threshold from $50,000 to $100,000; council members cited transparency and accountability concerns.
Item 32 – Litigation Briefing Before Contract Awards: Passed 5-1 after amendments. Directs the city attorney to brief council in executive session on litigation history (going back 10 years) of contract awardees. An amendment to require a legal review within 15 days failed.
Item 34 – Plan of Action to Prevent ICE Detention Facilities: Passed after amendments. The original motion by Representative Limon and Canales was amended (4-3) to remove El Paso Water from the collaboration. A second amendment (unanimous) added a 60-day directive for the city manager and attorney to research a protocol preventing warrantless entry, explore a moratorium on permits/zoning for ICE facilities, and produce a report on city-ICE cooperation.
Item 44 – Street Resurfacing List 2026-2027: Approved unanimously. Staff presented a $63.18 million plan covering 78 center-lane miles. Council members debated equitable distribution, with concerns raised about District 7's low PCI score receiving a smaller allocation compared to newer districts.
Item 45 – Van Horn Water Pressure Zone Grant: Approved unanimously. Provided $600,000 from the TED program fund to help Van Horn lift a commercial water moratorium, leveraging an EDA grant and local matches totaling $3 million, supporting tourism and aerospace industries.
Good morning. Good morning, sir. Good morning, Mayor, Council members, city staff, and everyone here. Thank you for having us at El Paso City Hall. My name is Roland Rios. I'm president co-founder of Combat Fighting Championship CFC. And I'm also proud of veteran of the United States Air Force. So when I talk about community impact, I'm coming from a service mindset. Show up prepared, lead responsibly, and create something that improves lives. Today it's meaningful because of the proclamation. And we don't take this lightly. Since then, we've been committed to earning that recognition through results. We produced five major events, and our sixth is coming April 25th. We started with 1400 attendees and grew it to 3100 attendees. That's momentum and community trust. Each event takes a hundred and twenty to a hundred and fifty people working behind the scenes to keep it safe and professional. We invest local locally to deliver a high standard event. About a hundred and twenty thousand spent uh per event into the operational ecosystem that makes this happen. And we bring visitors to El Paso. About 300 hotel room nights per event, supporting hospitality and small and small and small business. But most importantly, where we are uh where we're headed next, we launch our CFC Foundation. It's new, but our purpose is clear. Create an opportunities for youth through structure mentorship and access. Our targets are to serve two thousand underprivileged kids, provide five hundred mentorship hours, and fund two hundred scholarships. Now I want you to hear from my co-founder, Jose Carlos Pacheco, because he brings the athletes' perspective and the passion behind what we're building. Carlos. Good morning. My name is Jose Carlos Pacheco, co-founder of Combat Fighting Championship CFC. Mayor and Council members, thank you for your time and for letting me speak today. This project began with nothing more than a simple what if conversation. Standing here now representing the MMA community, it truly feels surreal. Our worlds don't often intersect, so I want to sincerely thank you for seeing Beyond the Cage, Beyond the Fighting, and recognizing the purpose behind what we're building. Not just for our athletes, but for the city of El Paso. CFC was created to showcase the incredible talent that exists right here at home. El Paso has always been a fight town. And that's proven by athletes like WBA world champion Stephanie Hahn and former Fury FC champion Andrea Maro. Fighting is in our is part of our culture. It's in our blood. We are fighters, both inside and outside of the cage. As a professional fighter myself, I can tell you that Al Pasoans take immense pride in representing our city. When we travel and compete across the country, we carry El Paso with us every time we step into the cage. We are nine out of town promotion. We are Al Paso born, El Paso bred, El Paso Proud, and El Paso Strong. It may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow. But I guarantee that CFC will be the platform that helps launch an El Paso athlete to the UFC and represents our city on the biggest stage in the world. Thank you again for your time. And now I pass it on to Marco. Good morning. Uh my name is Marco Vallejo. I lead partner relations for CFC, and I'm also the executive director of the CUC Foundation, where I lead our mentorship and scholarship efforts.