Politics & Government
City Of San Antonio: Councilman Perry Laments Lack Of Federal Assistance At Border
We are amid a global pandemic, COVID-19 cases in Texas are surging, and by all reports, our healthcare system is in distress.
August 19, 2021
CONTACT: Paul Jimenez
Office: 210.207.7063
Paul.Jimenez@sanantonio.gov
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SAN ANTONIO (August 19, 2021) – Today City Council voted unanimously to authorize a professional services agreement with Catholic Charities of San Antonio in an amount up to $200,000 to support migrant response efforts in San Antonio. The following statement was released in response to today’s vote:
“I understand and am sympathetic to the plight of the migrant people who continue to take great risks to seek asylum in the United States, which is why I supported this item. Additionally, the City will seek full reimbursement from the federal government on all relevant expenses that are incurred from our handling of this situation. This is a humanitarian and a health issue, and as a compassionate city, our leaders should allow everyone space to express their concerns, rather than discarding them as racist. My concerns are related to the lack of action by the federal government to get this crisis under control. For many years, our federal government has failed on issues of immigration, and this is an extension of that failure.
We are amid a global pandemic, COVID-19 cases in Texas are surging, and by all reports, our healthcare system is in distress. Legally we cannot require a COVID-19 test be performed on any visitor to San Antonio, but the federal government can require testing of anyone coming into our country. Other nations have this requirement. Local governments have imposed mandates, are running vaccination and testing sites, and encouraging people to remain vigilant to slow the spread of COVID-19. If we are that concerned about slowing the spread and protecting our limited healthcare resources in this fight against COVID-19 for our own residents, why not have the same level of concern for the safety of the migrants travelling directly from the border to and through our communities? The federal government must do all that they can to assist the migrants at the border before transporting them to other places. The lack of federal assistance to protect the health and welfare of the migrants, as well as our communities, is a failure.”
This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.