Migrant shelter in Texas sees surge as election approaches

Listen To Story Above

As election day approaches, a non-profit migrant shelter in San Antonio has experienced a surge in the number of migrants housed since May. The San Antonio Migrant Resource Center has provided shelter to nearly 12,500 migrants since October 1, 2024, as Texas border cities witness an increase in crossings.

The center, a collaborative effort between the City of San Antonio and various non-profit organizations, including Catholic Charities, has been instrumental in assisting almost half a million migrants with transportation out of the city since its establishment in 2022.

During a visit to the facility on Wednesday, observers noted several buses from the border region dropping off migrants at the heavily secured location. The city has deployed police officers to maintain security and ensure peace at the facility.

Outside the center, migrants were seen moving about as commuters traveled on Mission City’s busy roadways. Family units and single adults, dressed in clothing provided by Customs and Border Protection contractors at border processing facilities, stood on street corners or walked from the shelter to nearby businesses.

A Venezuelan family shared their experience, expressing gratitude for the treatment they received since being released by the Border Patrol in Eagle Pass earlier in the month. Maria and Trinidad, accompanied by their children aged nine and 12, hope to eventually travel to New York but currently lack the funds and family support to do so. Trinidad mentioned that families often wait longer for travel assistance due to the higher cost of flying with an entire family compared to a single person.

“We’re hoping to leave soon. It’s been over a week, and we’re getting tired of being here, but we understand we have to wait our turn,” Trinidad explained in Spanish. His wife expressed her eagerness to reach New York City and find employment as a maid or in the restaurant industry.

“I’m willing to work anywhere. We don’t have any relatives there, so it’s crucial that we find work quickly. Until then, we’ll maintain our faith that something will happen,” she added.

Venezuelans top the list of nationalities served at the shelter since its opening in July 2022, with over 60,000 Venezuelan nationals receiving assistance. Nicaraguans follow in second place, with more than 26,000 individuals sheltered. Cubans, Hondurans, Haitians, and Colombians round out the top six nationalities, totaling 78,393 migrants served since the facility’s inception. The shelter has assisted migrants from various parts of the world, including some considered Special Interest Aliens by the FBI and DHS.

The facility nearly faced a funding shortage in March 2024 but received a reprieve when President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion funding package approved by Congress. The FEMA Shelter and Program (SSP) was allocated $650 million to reimburse non-government migrant shelters like San Antonio’s Migrant Resource Center for services provided to non-citizens.

The City of San Antonio and other local non-profit organizations received nearly $17 million in FEMA SSP funding to support the operation of the city’s Migrant Resource Center.

Reports indicate that migrant crossings, including large single groups, Special Interest Aliens, and unaccompanied migrant children, have been increasing in recent weeks in Eagle Pass, Texas, located more than 150 miles west of San Antonio. Migrants released in Eagle Pass by the Border Patrol after asylum processing often travel to the San Antonio Migrant Resource Center, where air travel to other parts of the United States is coordinated.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR