City no longer paying for immigrant travel, spent $728K on plane and bus tickets
SAN ANTONIO - Transporting asylum seeking immigrants to other parts of the country has sparked controversy in recent months. The City of San Antonio says it has now stopped paying for plane and bus tickets for people at its Migrant Resource Center.
In August we first reported the city was paying for immigrants here at the center to travel to other U.S. cities. Between July and September, it spent more than 700 thousand dollars on plane and bus tickets.
There was outrage when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis chartered planes last month to transport migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott paid for thousands of people to be bussed from Texas to cities like New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
Prior to that the Biden administration had chartered dozens of nighttime flights carrying immigrants to other parts of the U.S.
The cities of El Paso and San Antonio also paid for people seeking asylum to relocate.
The city says it spent $728,701 from July to September, to purchase plane or bus tickets for 2,538 immigrants. 30 thousand people have been served at the migrant center.
The city wouldn't comment on camera about the latest figures.
Back in August we asked Mayor Ron Nirenberg about the travel.
“This entire operation is entirely reimbursed by the federal government. It's entirely reimbursed by FEMA, set aside for this exact purpose," Nirenberg said.
In a statement Tuesday the city's Department of Human Services said the city's partner "Catholic Charities has transitioned to daily operations of the Migrant Resource Center and case management services to migrants. The city continues to ensure building maintenance at the Migrant Resource Center, manage local transportation services, and coordinate with local and border non-profits and other providers".
The city says Catholic Charities determined which asylum seekers received travel assistance.
