Overview
- Northern District of California Judge Eumi Lee issued a tentative ruling saying plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on National Environmental Policy Act and related claims, and she weighed final action at a Sept. 8 hearing in San Jose.
- Construction and demolition at the 25-acre Holsclaw Road site remain paused under a July compromise while the preliminary- injunction question is resolved.
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County say the federal government advanced the project without required environmental review and that the site’s agricultural-research past may leave hazardous materials in the soil.
- County plan reviews estimate the facility could hold more than 100 people while federal attorneys argue the site would be used only to hold and process about 10 people temporarily.
- Local advocates and elected officials rallied outside the federal courthouse to oppose the project, and if a preliminary injunction is entered it would halt construction until a final judgment that could take months or years.