This is TPR's roundup of the latest headlines and news developments. It provides a summary of the stories TPR is following.
Today's weather: Expect a high of 74 and a low of 41. The weekend will see sunny skies and unseasonably warm weather. Saturday will reach 74 and Sunday will see 79. Most of next week will be in the 80s. No rain is expected.
Trump freezes federal grants for migrant aid
The Trump Administration has placed a freeze on federal grants to local governments and non-profits that offer assistance to migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security plans to use the freeze to conduct a week-long review of how the grant money is being spent.
Department officials said they're concerned that the money for housing, food, clothing and other assistance may encourage illegal immigration or the illegal harboring of migrants. To date, there's been no proof of that.
The City of San Antonio and Catholic Charities of San Antonio offer a directory of services for migrants who would most likely end up homeless and hungry in the city without such assistance.
NEISD will notify parents if ICE visits a district school
Sean Maika, the superintendent of North East ISD, said parents will be notified immediately if Immigration and Customs Enforcement issues a warrant at one of their schools. He said in a letter to parents and staff on Thursday that the end of a policy barring arrests at sensitive places like schools has “created anxiety and certainty.”
Maika said ICE, like any other law enforcement agency, must check in with school officials and show identification and documentation. He said the district is “familiar with complying with subpoenas,” and ICE will be handled the same way.
He added that the director of the San Antonio ICE field office has said his team won’t go to schools or other sensitive locations like churches and hospitals unless “an especially dangerous criminal is inside.”
Maika said NEISD does not ask about and it does not collect any information about immigration status.
People have legal rights when dealing with ICE
Unlawfully entering the U.S. and remaining in the country after that, or after your visa has expired, are federal crimes. Simply being in the country without legal authorization is not.
But some of the same constitutional rights for criminal cases apply to noncitizens on U.S. soil.
Immigration attorney Belinda Arroyo explained that "an immigrant has the right to remain silent. They have the right to not allow somebody to enter their home without an arrest warrant or without a warrant to search."
ICE still needs warrants to search schools and churches, too. However, a noncitizen is not entitled to an attorney if they can't afford one.
Alamo Colleges prepares for new bond election
The Alamo Colleges District is going out for a bond election for the first time since 2017. It will be on the same ballot as the San Antonio mayoral race in May.
The community college system is asking voters to approve a $987 million bond for the construction of new buildings and to improve infrastructure like IT and cybersecurity.
The district plans to build or renovate 15 buildings to support expanded programs, including a school of engineering, a school of nursing, and a center of automotive technology. The funding would also support expanding into four new locations: Port San Antonio, Brooks, the Medical Center, and a training center north of Loop 1604.
District officials added that they plan to issue bonds over several years to avoid a tax rate increase.
San Antonio and SAWS agree to work together on construction projects
The City of San Antonio and San Antonio Water System came to a formal agreement to coordinate on construction projects funded by the 2022 city bond. The agreement is intended to speed up city construction projects by having SAWS identify and share where its underground service lines are.
The agreement stems from District 1 Councilmember Sukh Kaur’s policy proposal to better understand San Antonio’s underground infrastructure. “It might take a little bit more money and time on the front end," Kaur said, "but on the back end, we're really going to be saving residents and businesses, which is what we can control right now today.”
Contractors’ lack of information about that infrastructure has often led them to run into lines they didn’t expect when they open up the ground, which greatly slowed construction.
The policy also established a formal dispute resolution process so that the city and SAWS can work together quickly to resolve project-related issues.
County commissioner hosts one more town hall on Spurs arena project
County Commissioner Tommy Calvert is hosting a town hall to discuss the proposed downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs and what to do with the team's current home at the Frost Bank Center.
Calvert wants to reimagine the areas around the Frost Bank Center, including creating green spaces and a food court for East Side businesses.
City, county, and state elected officials have been invited to attend the town halls on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. at Freeman Coliseum.
KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo contributed to this report.
