SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg says the city is transitioning the way that it serves the needs of migrants who come into the community. While one short-term shelter will close next week, another is expected to get renewed funding for continued operation.
The city has announced that by May 1, it will close the Airport Transfer Center (ATC), which had been providing short-term shelter for migrants waiting to fly to their next destination.
"Because the numbers [of migrants] we have are down, we don't need it right now," Nirenberg said. "We obviously, if it does become needed again, we can open that back up."
While the ATC is not closing due to funding, the city is receiving less than in past years to fund the Migrant Resource Center (MRC).
"The entirety of our MRC is based on circumstances that present themselves," Nirenberg said. "We stood up the MRC to respond to the level of migration flows as we had done in 2016 and 2019. We are maintaining order within our community, we're protecting people's safety and we're also treating people with dignity."
"Right now, with the level of funding that we have for the new budget deal, it's adequate for our needs," he said.
In early April, Congress approved the allocation of $17.8 million from FEMA's Shelter and Service Program (SSP) to organizations in San Antonio funding migrant care. The bulk of that money ($10 million) will go to Catholic Charities. $3 million is allocated to the City of San Antonio, once the city submits its application.
"As circumstances change, we will very likely respond and require different levels of funding, if those circumstances present themselves, " Nirenberg said. "We want to protect public safety. We want to maintain order with all of those impacts that we see, and we want to treat people with dignity. We will not compromise on those three things, and that's why the MRC is required."
While the city has not made clear how long the MRC will be funded at current levels, District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte said he thinks it's "great" that the ATC is closed. His view regarding the future of migrant care is a direct contrast to Nirenberg's.
"I think we need to relook at whether or not we want to have the Migrant Resource Center here in San Antonio,” Whyte said. "We've done a lot for the migrant population, and I think we can continue to do a lot for the migrant population. Right. But does having that Migrant Resource Center here in San Antonio put our citizens more at risk? I think there's a real question there."
With federal funding not as high as it once was, Whyte fears one day, the city could be footing the bill for the MRC.
"Our money should be used on our basic city services, public safety, streets and sidewalks, drainage, continuing to battle the homeless problem," he said. "That's where our money should be going, not to operating the Migrant Resource Center.”
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