Many residents KENS 5 spoke to on Monday told us the closure makes sense since the foot traffic at the center had decreased significantly since it first opened.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio’s Migrant Resource center is shutting down. The facility was run by Catholic Charities and has been operating off San Pedro since July 2022 through federal funding.
However, when it first opened, homeowners in the Shearer neighborhood located behind the center, say they had no warning.
“One day we saw a bus pull up and all these people were hanging out and we thought woah what’s going on?,” Homeowner Emiliano Vasquez said.
Many residents KENS 5 spoke to on Monday told us the closure makes sense since the foot traffic at the center had decreased significantly since it first opened.
“When it first opened, there were way too many people,” One homeowner who wanted to remain anonymous said. “They walked up and down our street, videotaping our houses.”
But city leaders insisted the center was needed at the time since migrants were sleeping downtown and outside the airport. The center gave asylum-seekers a place to stay temporarily as they were traveling to their final destination or court hearings.
“We opened it primarily to provide security and safety for both residents and also those who were transiting through,” City Manager Erik Walsh said.
Last June, the Biden Administration passed an executive order, limiting who can seek asylum. From January 2024 to January 2025, the number of migrants arriving in San Antonio declined by 72%– from 8,264 to 2,316 migrants, respectively, according to the city of San Antonio.
“The effort was funded by the federal government and it’s no longer necessary,” Walsh said.
However, at the peak of the migrant crossings, the center would see up to 8,000 migrants a week.
“A lot of the migrants would hang in front the businesses and the owners didn’t like that,” Vasquez said. “It didn’t look good.”
Catholic Charities leaders said they will continue helping migrants that come through San Antonio. While dozens of migrants remain at the center as of Monday, the majority of them have travel plans squared away.
“Most people are happy for it,” Vasquez said.
The building was being leased out by the city. City officials said once the operations are wrapped up, they will end the lease. If there is another influx of migrants, Walsh told KENS 5 he does not believe they will use that space again for a migrant resource center.