SAN ANTONIO – Legal and community advocates held a press conference outside the immigration court on Monday to address recent arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown San Antonio.
Destiny Pena, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, called for solidarity among community members, legal advocacy groups and faith leaders.
The press conference addressed the recent detentions of immigrant families by ICE agents outside the San Antonio Immigration Court at 800 Dolorosa St.
“Since last Tuesday, we have witnessed over a dozen detentions of entire families carried out by plain-cloth ICE agents, right here, outside the San Antonio Immigration Courthouse,” Pena said. “These arrests are part of a national effort by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) to bypass legal immigration proceedings.”
For more than a week, ICE officers have been detaining immigrants after they leave their scheduled court hearings.
It’s a scene that’s played out in several cities across the country.
Arrests are rare in or immediately near immigration courts, which are run by the Justice Department. When they have occurred, it was usually because the individual was charged with a criminal offense, or their asylum claim had been denied.
ICE confirmed to KSAT 12 that agents do have the authority to arrest immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission — even outside of court hearings.
Critics argue the tactic undermines trust in the legal system.
Jessica Solis, another organizer, described the experiences of families facing detentions.
“Nothing prepares you for the horror of watching a mother in crisis forced into a van with her 7-year-old child,” she said.
One girl whose mother was detained outside the immigration court last week said in Spanish, “I don’t know why they do that, all the families should be with their moms.”
On Thursday, her mother and others were detained after their cases were dismissed during hearings.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sees it differently.
While in San Antonio to sign a cybersecurity bill into law, he told KSAT that he backs President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the actions of the federal government when it comes to detaining and deporting immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status.
“Texas is fully authorizing law enforcement in the state of Texas to assist in making sure that we have an organized, legal immigration process, and the start of a good legal immigration process means ending the illegal immigration process that existed under Joe Biden,” Abbott said.
Immigration attorneys recommended that people with upcoming hearings consult with their lawyers.
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