El Paso Law Firm Pledges $5 Million for New UTEP Law School as County Sues ICE Over Detention Center Secrecy

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is closer to launching its first law school after the El Paso law firm Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro P.C. committed $5 million toward the project. This donation, combined with a matching $5 million grant from the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation, puts the university halfway to its $20 million funding goal needed to operate the school for its first decade.

At a packed announcement event, founding partner Alex Acosta III emphasized the firm’s motivation: many of their clients’ children aspire to become lawyers to help others, but lack a clear path. “Those children’s dreams needed encouragement and a path,” Acosta said, framing the law school as a critical community resource.

The university plans to seek approval and additional funding from the Texas Legislature and the University of Texas Board of Regents, aiming to formally request support during the 2027 legislative session. The goal is to open the law school by 2030 to address the documented regional shortage of legal professionals, according to a state-funded planning study.

In a stark contrast to this community investment, El Paso County is suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over its refusal to comply with a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The county’s lawsuit, filed April 6, demands ICE release documents related to the controversial “mega” detention facility planned for Socorro, in far East El Paso County.

The suit alleges ICE ignored the mandatory 20-day response deadline and accuses the agency of a “persistent pattern of secrecy” regarding the facility’s location, funding, environmental impact, and contractor relations. The Department of Homeland Security purchased three warehouses for $123 million to house up to 8,500 detainees, but no official timeline or detailed public disclosures have been provided.

Local leaders and residents have expressed alarm about the scale and conditions of the detention center, with over 200 community members voicing concerns at a recent Commissioners Court meeting. The county’s open records request followed a directive to demand transparency from federal authorities, highlighting ongoing tensions over immigration enforcement and detention practices.

These developments illustrate a stark divide in El Paso’s future: investment in legal education to empower the community versus federal detention expansion shrouded in secrecy and controversy. As the law school moves forward, the county’s legal battle with ICE underscores the urgent need for accountability in immigration enforcement.