The Trump administration has a new quota to arrest at least 3,000 people a day in an effort to expedite deportations of certain migrants.
SAN ANTONIO — Uncertainty has swept parts of San Antonio’s immigrant community after federal agents arrested numerous migrants over the past week, including men and women who attend a Mennonite church.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested at least a dozen individuals a week ago as they left immigration court downtown following their cases being dismissed. Among those impacted is a mother four from Venezuela who remains in federal custody at a detention facility in Karnes County.
“She was just this leader in our community and a very beloved member of our church,” said Dianne Garcia, pastor at Inglesia Cristiana Roca de Refugio.
According to Garcia, the woman played a central role in the church as the worship leader and main vocalist.
“She was up there in front of the church every Sunday. Everybody knew her in our community, which is why I think it’s been a particularly difficult time for us,” Garcia said.
The pastor described the woman’s emotional state as fragile, fearful and exhausted, stressing she longs to reunite with her children.
“She’s sort of been, in a sense, I would call it disappeared from our community,” Garcia said. “It’s very hard to even have interaction with her and for her to interact with her family.”
ICE officials confirmed multiple recent arrests, stating that they’re prioritizing expedited deportations for migrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years, particularly those with criminal records.
But Garcia and other advocates are pushing back, as was evident during a rally held on Monday. Immigration rights groups are calling for the end to ICE’s operations, which some advocates have referred to as unjust and inhumane.
“We have to get rid of criminals but that’s a false equivalency,” Garcia said. “You don’t have to treat families this way. You don’t have to separate moms from their kids.”
Despite the risk of being detained, Garcia said some migrants still plan to attend their upcoming immigration hearings as they wish to comply with the legal process, even amid fear. Others have been able to resort to virtual court hearings.
As immigration proceedings continue, community members and faith leaders remain on edge, uncertain of what lies ahead.