El Paso City Council Meeting: February 3, 2026 - Proclamations, ICE Opposition, and Infrastructure Approvals
El Paso City Council Meeting: February 3, 2026 - Proclamations, ICE Opposition, and Infrastructure Approvals
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.
Proclamations
- Combat Fighting Championship (CFC): Roland Rios, Jose Carlos Pacheco, and Marco Vallejo presented the organization's growth from 1,400 to 3,100 attendees per event, $120,000 per event in local spending, 300 hotel room nights, and plans for a foundation serving 2,000 underprivileged youth with 500 mentorship hours and 200 scholarships.
- El Paso Children's Hospital Day: Recognized 14 years of service, 148 beds, over 20 specialties, a recent Toyota partnership for traumatic brain injury treatment, and named Best Hospital in El Paso Times for the second consecutive year. Staff highlighted awards including the only pediatric intensive care unit in the region.
- Black History Hall of Fame Inductees: February 3rd proclaimed as El Paso Black Hall of Fame Day, honoring inductees including posthumous recipients. Inductees spoke about service, community, and the 100th anniversary of Black History Month.
- Community Partners in Action: Recognized Sam's Club Store #6246 for supporting veterans' memorials and community events.
- National Engineers Week: Proclaimed February 22-28, 2026, recognizing engineers at El Paso Electric, TxDOT, and UTEP's College of Engineering, which enrolled 5,400 students in fall 2025 and graduated 886 engineers.
Consent Calendar
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.
Public Comments & Testimony
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:
- Jessica Morales, a social worker who oversaw detention operations, argued detention is a business model that drains resources.
- Marisa Limon Garza, executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, detailed medical neglect and due process violations.
- Claudia Contreras Siller supported law enforcement and cautioned against violence.
- A retired DOJ attorney, Eduardo Castillo, emphasized constitutional rights.
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.
Discussion Items
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.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved as revised.
- First Reading of Ordinances: Approved items 20-23.
- Property Sales (Items 24-26): Three property conveyances approved unanimously (Bassett Ave, Mills Addition, Dolan St).
- Short-Term Rental Definition (Item 27): Unanimously adopted.
- Rezoning and Special Permit (Items 28-29): Unanimously approved for a contractor yard on Gateway South.
- City Manager Contract Authority (Item 30): Failed 2-3.
- Public Service Board Appointment (Item 31): Stephanie Block Urubati appointed 5-1.
- Litigation Briefing (Item 32): Approved 5-1 with 10-year lookback.
- Anti-Littering Strategy (Item 33): Unanimously approved a 90-day directive.
- ICE Detention Plan (Item 34): Approved with amendments.
- Housing Tax Credits (Items 50-51): Unanimously approved resolutions of support for all three projects (Cielo Towers 2, East Side Crossings 2, Siesta Garden) after an amendment; item 51 (acknowledging census tract) approved.
- Municipal Court Magistrate (Item 53): Corey A. Harbor appointed unanimously.
- Street Resurfacing and Bike Contracts (Items 40, 41, 43, 44): All approved unanimously (downtown bike improvements $2,065,000.09; collector/arterial streets $35,427,150; residential streets $19,839,245.50; street list resolution).
- Van Horn Grant (Item 45): Approved unanimously.
- Audit Acceptances (Items 46-48): Animal Services West Side Adoption Center, El Paso Zoo financial activity, and Planning Inspections permit review follow-up audits accepted unanimously.
- Civil Engineering On-Call Contracts (Item 49): Approved unanimously ($750,000 each to three firms).
- Termination of Airport Security Contract (Item 52): Unanimously approved terminating KR Contracting due to TSA violations.
- Recess and Lunch: A motion to recess for lunch failed; council later recessed from 3:09 p.m. to 4:03 p.m.
Additional Items
- Presentation on Entertainment Venue Enforcement (Item 37): Code Enforcement provided data on pool rental enforcement, with 57 calls for service and citations issued.
- ARPA Update (Item 38): Staff reported 94% ($145.4 million) of $154.3 million obligated/spent, with remaining $8.9 million to be spent by December 31, 2026.
- First Quarter Financial Report (Item 39): A slight surplus projected; no use of the $3.25 million fund balance expected.
Meeting Transcript
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.
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