San Antonio Is Ranked First Among Texas Cities In Immigrant Integration

Press release from the City of San Antonio:

September 23, 2020

CONTACT: Tracy Talavera, 210-207-4457
tracy.talavera@sanantonio.gov

SAN ANTONIO, TX (Sept. 23, 2020) —The City of San Antonio ranks first among Texas cities in policies that help immigrants integrate into the community and economy, according to the third annual NAE Cities Index on Immigration Integration. The NAE Cities Index is a national assessment of local integration policies and socioeconomic outcomes for immigrants in the largest 100 cities. San Antonio ranked 29 out of 100 cities overall this year. Additionally, San Antonio received an NAE badge of distinction for its high performance (scoring a four or five out of five) in the following categories: Government Leadership, Community, Legal Support, and Livability.

“San Antonio is known for being a welcoming city. This is why our community is beautifully vibrant and diverse. There are many initiatives that landed our city with this distinction for a second year in a row, but the most notable was the Migrant Resource Center that was mobilized to provide food, clothes, resources, and transportation to final destinations for asylum seekers passing through our home. This recognition should make everyone in this city proud,” stated Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

In 2019, the City of San Antonio responded to an influx of immigrants and created the Migrant Resource Center (MRC). The MRC welcomed 32,343 immigrants where they were assisted with travel to their respective host cities, provided shelter, meals, and basic needs, in addition to triaged medical needs. There were 85,471 meals served, 2,600 medical assessments, and over 22,000 beds provided to visitors to the city. In addition, 1,200 City staff and 600 community volunteers provided 41,000 hours of work to provide the necessary support to migrant families at the MRC.

Moreover, the City of San Antonio co-hosted five free citizenship clinics, held three large naturalization ceremonies, including the first naturalization ceremony held at the City Council Chamber in more than a decade. The City of San Antonio also formulated the first immigration integration strategic plan and collaborated with medical and legal providers to provide information and dispel myths about the impact of the new public charge rule.

Additionally, new data from New American Economy show that:

• Immigrants in the San Antonio metro area paid $1.8B in taxes in 2018
• There were 26,689 immigrant entrepreneurs in 2018
• As of 2018, there were 121,131 immigrants eligible to vote in the San Antonio metro area

For more information on San Antonio in the NAE Cities Index visit https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/cities-index/profile/san-antonio/.

This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.