A federal judge in San Jose is scheduled to consider a preliminary injunction next week that could halt plans for a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Gilroy.

The project calls for construction on a 24-acre site east of the Gilroy Premium Outlets.

The proposal has faced opposition since plans were discovered in May, with critics arguing the facility would have negative effects on the community, including local schools.

Educators from across the South Bay are urging officials to stop the project, which would be located near the Gilroy Unified School District office.

"Student safety is not political. This is about every child's right to learn safely," said Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Maimona Afzal Berta.

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"And this facility may be in Gilroy, but the fear doesn't stop at city limits," said Palo Alto Unified School District Board President Shounak Dharap.

Tuyen Fiack, president of the Gilroy Unified School District board, said more than half of students in Santa Clara County classrooms live in mixed-immigration-status households. She said those families could be harmed if the detention facility is built.

"When a child worries about whether their parent will be home when they return from school, that fear enters the classroom with them. And when children begin to associate the community where they live with fear rather than safety, we have an obligation to pay attention," Fiack said.

Opponents pointed to a recent case in nearby Morgan Hill involving the deportation of a father of three students in the Morgan Hill Unified School District.

Superintendent Carmen Garcia said such situations can have lasting effects on students.

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"Their trust in public institutions will be decimated because of the country they call home, betrayed their family and destroyed their American dream," Garcia said.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, whose district includes the proposed site, said the project violates environmental and immigration laws. She said she intends to continue opposing the plans.

"It's not enough to have a campaign, and it's not enough to us to recognize a bill of rights for children. We have to make sure that we ring the alarm and that we organize," Arenas said.

Multiple Bay Area counties and the California attorney general have filed a lawsuit seeking to stop construction of the detention center. According to Attorney General Rob Bonta's office, the project remains paused until at least Sept. 9, a day after a federal judge is expected to consider the preliminary injunction.

On Friday, the federal judge presiding over the case signaled they may block construction of the ICE facility site.

Another hearing on the case is set for Tuesday.

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