Santa Clara County and the State of California have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to halt construction of the ICE facility being built on agricultural land just minutes from the Gilroy Costco. The lawsuit alleges the federal government violated multiple federal and state laws by bypassing required environmental review and local consultation.
Monterey County has prepared an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief supporting the lawsuit. A number of cities and counties have signed onto that brief, while others have adopted resolutions formally opposing the project.
On June 24, the Morgan Hill City Council held a special meeting that included consideration of whether to join the Monterey County amicus brief. During public comment, more than 20 speakers urged the council to support the brief, while only one speaker opposed it.
The council then met in closed session. When it returned, the only announcement was that it had taken “no reportable action from the closed session,” and the meeting was adjourned.
The public was not told whether a vote occurred, how individual council members voted if a vote was taken, or why the council chose not to sign onto the amicus brief.
That lack of transparency is disappointing. Residents deserve to know how their elected representatives handled an issue of significant public interest and why.
In a February 2025 letter to the editor, Mayor Mark Turner wrote: “Conversation and debate around the immigration topic—or any topic for that matter—should be robust and can be healthy when we adhere to true tolerance for differing opinions, respect for varying perspectives, and an attempt to first understand and then be understood.”
I agree. The best way to honor those words is with a robust public discussion of why the council took no action on the amicus brief. If the council believes its decision was the right one, it should explain that decision openly so the public can understand its reasoning.
Bruce Cooley
Morgan Hill
The author of this excellent letter that i believe the vast majority of Morgan Hill residents agree with is just the latest to discover that Mark Turner is first and foremost a hypocrite. He says whatever he thinks will best fulfill his self-interests but they are just words. Morgan Hill needs new leadership that supports real transparency and that can be trusted to put Public Interest not self-serving political interests first.
Dear Friends, I respectfully disagree. I’ve known Mr. Turner a very long time. The small business owners in Gilroy and South County were blessed to have his leadership for years at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. His reputation for honesty and integrity was well known. Would the Clovis Chamber and City Council have invited him to speak on Leadership Day if he were otherwise? No. Clovis is, like Gilroy, a well-run municipal government. The small business and very small business owners in Morgan Hill and South County, some of whom I’ve represented for most of the past 46 years, are blessed with his leadership, and integrity, recognized throughout the Central California Coast Region. Morgan Hill needs more leaders like Mark Turner. Ask Clovis. Joe Thompson, Past-President, 1999-2001, 2006, Gilroy-Morgan Hill Bar Assn., Past-Chair, Legislation Committee, Transportation Lawyers Assn.; E-Mail: Tr******@*****ll.Net
What a shocking lack of courage, decency and honesty from the Morgan Hill City Council. They are unable to stand up to evil in their own backyard, quietly pushing the issue to one side. This cowardice is on display as ICE murders another human being, a man who fathered three US citizens and ran a successful small business in Houston. He was shot in front of his own son. Meanwhile thousands of other human beings are being detained in horrible concentration camps around the country for no purpose other than cruelty. Is this what we want in our region? NO WAY!