SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio leader is calling for transparency and claiming the city has been operating a "secret" second migrant facility.
KENS 5 saw buses dropping off migrants at a warehouse near the airport on Monday. City officials confirmed the "vacant, climate-controlled office building" was turned into an Airport Transfer Center (ATC) in May.
A spokesperson for the city said it provides a comfortable space for asylum-seekers with plane tickets to wait for their flights. Migrants are offered food, water and portable restroom access.
City Council member Marc Whyte represents District 10, where the facility is located.
“In the summertime, I recall being told that this was a ‘possibility,’” said Whyte. “But it wasn’t until October that I got official confirmation that there were people at that airport facility. It seems like nobody in the city knew that this was going on, and that’s a transparency problem that we have to fix.”
A city spokesperson told KENS 5 about 270 migrants are bused from the Migrant Resource Center on San Pedro Avenue to the Airport Transfer Center each day. It reportedly costs about $260,000 a month to operate the ATC.
City officials say the federal government reimburses San Antonio for all expenses associated with both migrant centers.
“The city is ultimately responsible for it,” said Whyte. “The city is fronting the money to be reimbursed by the federal government. In my opinion, our resources here in San Antonio should be focused on the citizens of San Antonio. We have to be good stewards of their tax dollars and do everything we can to keep them safe. To me, the concern should be that the public was not made aware. From where I sit, this is a public safety issue.”
Whyte says elected officials did not vote to open the ATC. He claims the decision was made at the city manager's office, and tells us he is pushing to have it closed.
Border crossings remain high. San Antonio recently experienced a jump in migrants, forcing some families to sleep outside as capacity was reached at the Migrant Resource Center.
San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh released the following statement regarding the ATC:
“There have been recent reports with misinformation on the Airport Transfer Center located at the San Antonio International Airport. This climate-controlled facility (not a hanger) is being used by the City of San Antonio for migrants. It gives those traveling by plane a safe and comfortable area to wait with access to food, water, commodities and restrooms. It is not a shelter, but instead a place where only individuals with a plane ticket can voluntarily stay and wait for their flight. The vast majority of people leave within 24 hours. On occasion people have stayed beyond 24 hours, but no more than 48 hours.”
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