SAN ANTONIO — Mayor Ron Nirenberg is expected to meet with President Joe Biden during his upcoming border visit to discuss a continuing "influx of migrants," as well as how the federal government is confronting the issue.
"Safety is our number one priority as we work to humanely assist asylum seekers as they travel to their host family's destination within the United States," Nirenberg wrote in a letter notifying city leaders about his Thursday plans. "The resources required to provide aid to the nearly 600,000 individuals who have passed through out local migrant resource center since 2021 have been largely supported by federal reimbursements."
The mayor requested that Thursday's City Council agenda be moved back a week in order for him to make the trek south. On Wednesday he told KENS 5 he communicates regularly with the Department of Homeland Security and White House about migrants coming to San Antonio.
Biden and Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump will be jockeying for the spotlight in separate Texas border communities on Thursday. The president is expected to meet with U.S. Border Patrol in Brownsville and Trump will be campaigning in Eagle Pass as the path towards an Election Day rematch becomes increasingly clear.
Nirenberg's plans to meet Biden in Brownsville is an indication of the local impacts of recent surges in migrant arrivals at the border, situations which have historically caused strain for San Antonio's Migrant Resource Center, run by Catholic Charities. Earlier this month, the organization said it was prepared to further reduce personnel at the center after a bipartisan bill that would have provided funding to address the border and immigration failed in the U.S. Senate.
And, earlier this month, Nirenberg signed a joint letter with several other mayors demanding action and additional resources.
“The fact that we have a tremendous need for resources in order to deal with the influx caused by laws that are outdated by decades are being addressed by this bill and because of the Machiavellian politics of the day, it’s not even going to get a hearing,” Nirenberg previously said.
According to the city's online dashboard, more than 241,000 migrants have passed through San Antonio since January 2023. January was the slowest month since March 2023, with 8,264 arriving in the Alamo City compared to 25,921 in December, but Nirenberg said the volume of migrant arrivals changes on an almost-weekly basis.
Ahead of his meeting with the president, Nirenberg is asking Congress to pass a bill that would allocate federal funding for local migrants services, such as the ones offered by Catholic Charities.
"It's only a matter of time before... because Congress won't bring these legislative solutions to the floor, with a lack of resources not only for Border Patrol, for the adjudication process, for local communities, we're staring at another political crisis."
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