Since the Trump Administration has ramped up ICE operations, local leaders are giving insight into what is happening in Bexar County.
SAN ANTONIO — Monday night, the Archdiocese of San Antonio hosted an immigration town hall to address concerns within the community and debunk rumors surrounding ICE raids.
The panel included Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Mayor Nirenberg said he has had conversations with federal law enforcement leaders. His understanding is that the operations they are conducting are no different than what has been done in past administrations.
But what he believes has changed is the messaging behind those operations.
“What is happening that is different is the rhetoric, is the attention, is the showmanship of some of these things from politicians and it is designed to do exactly what we’re hearing, is instilling a lot of fear,” Nirenberg said.
Since President Donald Trump has taken office, ICE has ramped up operations, leading to as many as 1,000 arrests in a single day across the country. The daily average during President Joe Biden’s administration was 312 arrests a day.
However, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he has not heard of any widespread raids at churches, schools or hospitals.
However, he added that does not mean people without a criminal history who are undocumented won’t be detained. Especially if they happen to be with a person ICE is actively searching for.
“Anybody that may be next to that person at time of arrest or contact may be subject to seizure and possible deportation if they are undocumented,” Salazar said.
Sheriff Salazar said he was briefed in D.C. a few weeks ago by federal leaders. One topic that was brought up was DACA and how recipients could be impacted.
“Those protected by DACA are not a priority as far as removal,” Salazar said. “They are not looking at present to remove those protections and they are not looking at those folks unless obviously they have a warrant for their arrest.”
So far, BCSO has not been tasked to help ICE with any operations. He added, it is illegal for his deputies to racially profile.
“If you are the victim of a crime or if you are a witness to a crime, and you happen to be undocumented, please I need you to feel comfortable calling law enforcement and make that report,” Salazar said.
HSI San Antonio has not released any numbers of ICE arrests locally. Sheriff Salazar said the number of inmates in his jail with ICE detainers fluctuates frequently.
He added, some counties have an actual office for ICE inside the jail but that is not the case in Bexar County. Instead, ICE agents are checking the jail every few hours. Before President Trump’s administration, they were only checking a few times a day.