NEWS: Casar, Mayor Watson, Judge Brown, Austin Electeds Urge Austin Parking Lot Owners to Prohibit ICE Stagings

Image November 13, 2026 Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (D-TX), along with Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), and local Austin elected officials sent a letter urging owners and operators of parking lots in Austin to prohibit ICE from using their properties as staging areas for enforcement operations. Last month, Congressman Casar’s office was notified that ICE used Austin parking lots as staging areas for the transportation of immigrants to deportation centers in at least two instances. At the time, Congressman Casar issued a statement in response to the stagings, stating: “ICE is making Austin less safe. Kids are scared to go to school, parents are scared to go to work, and crime victims are even scared to talk to police. I am urging owners and operators of parking lots in Austin to not rent or lend your property to ICE for these operations.” The elected officials write: “We have seen in cities like New York how using lots for staging can directly lead to horrific violence.” In the letter, the elected officials ask property owners to commit to prohibiting ICE from using their lots as a staging ground for operations and make the prohibition clear to ICE. The letter is led by Congressman Casar, and is signed by Congressman Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Austin City Council Members Vanessa Fuentes (District 2), José Velásquez (District 3), José “Chito” Vela (District 4), Ryan Alter (District 5), Krista Lane (District 6), Mike Siegel (District 7), Paige Ellis (District 8) & Zohaib “Zo” Qadri (District 9), Travis County Commissioners Brigid Shea (Precinct 2), Ann Howard (Precinct 3), & George Morales (Precinct 4), and Texas State Representative Lulu Flores. Read the full letter here . ### Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 119th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Issues : Civil Rights Immigrant Rights