Mass Deportation

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?

We are learning in real time how aggressive the Trump mass deportation is. The operation is moving fast and is underway right now in San Antonio and other major cities. We check in with civil rights and immigration attorneys on how to prepare in case you or a loved one is swept up in the mass deportation.

Today on Texas Matters – How the Trump mass deportation anti-immigration crackdown could impact Texas agriculture. We hear from Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller. We also talk to Kathleen Bush-Joseph — a Policy Analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, co-author of “With “Shock and Awe,” the Second Trump Term Opens with a Bid to Strongly Reshape Immigration.”

Immigration advocates are urging people eligible to reapply for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, to stay on top of any policy changes under Trump.

The memo rescinds a Biden administration guideline that created "protected areas" consisting of places where "children gather, disaster or emergency relief sites, and social services establishments."

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.

Asylum-seeking migrants at the San Antonio Catholic Charities MRC Centro de Bienvenida respond to Trump's mass deportation crackdown.

President-elect Donald Trump promised to declare illegal immigration a national emergency on the first day of his new term. He has said he will invoke both the Insurrection Act and the Alien Enemies Act—which could allow him to deploy the military. We hear from Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. She he has just published “How Trump Could Deploy the Military for Mass Deportation.”