SAN ANTONIO – In one week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained construction workers on a university campus and, in a separate incident, a mother and child immediately after an immigration hearing.
Immigration enforcement is being widely discussed on social media, leaving some San Antonians questioning if they still stand as strongly for or against deportation policies.
“I think it’s awful,” one woman said.
“If you’re here illegally, I have an issue,” Chail, a San Antonio resident, said. “Aside from that, I don’t think you should be harassing people who are going through the process legally.”
This conversation was prompted by an emotional ICE arrest caught on camera after a mother and child were detained by agents while leaving an immigration hearing.
“When all this kind of started, we were really targeting criminals, and I think that what we’re seeing a lot is it’s not criminals that are being targeted,” a woman named Megan said.
On Friday, an unknown amount of construction workers actively working at a University of Texas at San Antonio main campus construction site were detained by ICE.
UTSA confirmed to KSAT that the people arrested were “individuals who were working for a subcontractor on a main campus construction project.” A spokesperson with ICE San Antonio also confirmed they conducted the “enforcement action” on “several individuals who were in the United States unlawfully.”
KSAT contacted the main phone number for the construction company listed on an on-campus project on Saturday, but it was closed. KSAT emailed the company and left a message with the company’s answering line.
“I don’t think a lot of people understand how immigration works,” a woman named Daniela said. “You can’t just go and buy a residency card.”
A local organization plans to hold a press conference on Monday to “defend immigrant families” and speak out against recent ICE arrests.
Party for Socialism and Liberation San Antonio will host the press conference at noon at 800 Dolorosa St.
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