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Beginning this month the City of San Antonio will provide monthly updates about requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the San Antonio Police Department.
SAPD and the city have faced ire from some residents over department participation in immigration operations, but the city has maintained that requested involvement is required under state law but is still limited.
The initiative to post SAPD involvement with ICE comes from a city council input provided to city staff in January that was fueled by public pressure and marathon city council meetings filled with hours of citizen comment.
As part of a resolution passed in February, the City Manager’s office now provides regular updates to council on more than 20 subjects related to the city’s involvement in immigration issues. Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez said the city would provide these cooperation requests on its website.
“The public has access to it, and what we are reporting is the date of the event, the number of officers that participated is specifically what they did, and then the cost associated with that support,” she said.
The first report includes three requests for assistance for March and April 1, which highlight SAPD involvement with ICE — including one incident where San Antonio EMS needed to evaluate two ICE agents who exposed themselves to pepper spray.
The details of each report are sparse and provide a snapshot without much underlying context, although total financial impact was $1,518.
On March 13, SAPD responded to an “officer-in-trouble” call following an ICE request for assistance to a male who was allegedly resisting arrest in the 100 block of Dokes. The SAPD response included 12 officers for scene security. EMS was also called to treat two ICE agents and the arrested person for exposure to pepper spray that was deployed by ICE.
- Cost to San Antonio: $839
- Cost to San Antonio: $839
On March 30, San Antonio Airport Police responded to an ICE request for an individual who allegedly became uncooperative in Terminal B. The person had removal orders according to the SAPD report and was being escorted by ICE at the TSA checkpoint. Two San Antonio Airport Police assisted in handcuffing the person who was taken into ICE custody.
- Cost to San Antonio: $253
- Cost to San Antonio: $253
On April 1, SAPD responded to an ICE request in the 3500 block of Crosspoint for an individual who allegedly possessed unspecified narcotics. Two SAPD officers took the individual to the city’s arrestee processing center. It’s worth noting the 3500 block of Crosspoint has an ICE field office in this vicinity.
- Cost to San Antonio: $426
- Cost to San Antonio: $426
When asked if San Antonio would be reimbursed for the costs, Villagomez said it would not.
“Not at this point,” she said. “That is something that we will evaluate for any future grants that become available to the city.
Previously San Antonio Police Chief William McManus has said that the city and its police are not responsible for immigration enforcement.
“I want to be very, very clear on this,” McManus told the council in January. “SAPD does not enforce immigration laws. We do not arrest people for immigration violations. We are not enabled to do that by law, and we do not have that jurisdiction.”
However, San Antonio, like all Texas cities, has its hands tied when it comes to immigration cooperation. In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed SB4, known as an anti-sanctuary cities bill, that makes it a class A misdemeanor if a public official fails to cooperate with certain federal immigration requests.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said on Thursday the city will follow the law but will also make the public aware of what’s happening.
“The law is the law, right? It's very clear what we have to do under state law," Jones said. "And so again, we've got to make sure, though, that we are being as transparent and communicative with the community. That's what they expect, and certainly that's what we’re going to work to provide."
