Mass Deportation

For over a year the Trump administration has been executing its mass deportation agenda. Data shows that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement dragnet has scooped up mainly non-criminal immigrants. Recently the National Council of Jewish Women San Antonio organized the live panel discussion: “Paths, Barriers and Possibilities: Immigration in America” for a conversation about the impact of Trump’s mass deportation policies.

What was it like on the streets of Minnesota as ICE executed its immigration crackdown? A new FRONTLINE PBS documentary explores how the Trump administration said it was protecting U.S. citizens. But ended up killing two people (Renee Good and Alex Pretti), arresting hundreds of U.S. citizens, and rounding up non-criminal migrants for deportation. FRONTLINE examines the tactics, legal cases and impact of Trump’s ICE crackdown.

A protest broke out Saturday at the ICE-run South Texas family detention complex in Dilley, where five-year-old Liam Ramos is being detained.

Earlier this summer Carmen Herrera was detained by ICE outside of San Antonio’s immigration court. She’s a mother of five girls who are all U.S. citizens and she is also married to a U.S. citizen. After she was detained, Herrera’s nightmare began—and it’s a story shared by many in our community. Herrera’s story is told in a new documentary.

The story of one Venezuelan family trying to stay together — and stay documented — as they navigate the shifting legal immigration landscape under the Trump administration. PBS’s FRONTLINE takes viewers inside the experiences of Venezuelan immigrants in the United States

Earlier this summer Carmen Herrera was detained by ICE outside of San Antonio’s immigration court. She’s a mother of five girls who are all U.S. citizens and she is also married to a U.S. citizen. After she was detained, Herrera’s nightmare began—and it’s a story shared by many in our community. Herrera’s story is told in a new documentary.

President Donald Trump vowed to deport one million people in the first year back in office. And he has turned to possibly unlawful executive orders to do so. At least a dozen U.S. citizens have been ensnared in Trump’s immigration crackdown, and many more legal residents. They are being accused of being gang members and are being deported without due process.

Robbery, kidnapping, extortion, rape and murder— that’s what migrants face on their journey north. Jason De León spent years interviewing human smugglers in Mexico and Central America. De León argues it’s far more complicated than what American politicians and the media portrays. His book Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling won the National Book Award.

As mass deportations are underway and the Trump administration is shutting down legal asylum applications, there are those in our community who have decided to reject the cruelty and recognize the humanity of the migrant. The members of the San Antonio Interfaith Welcome Coalition tell their stories of supporting asylum seekers. We hear how San Antonio is still a city of compassion— even today.

Today on Texas Matters—Protests are rising up across the country against the Trump/Musk administration. Migrant shelters in Texas are nearly empty. And how important are the arts to the economy of Texas?