San Antonio’s Commitment to Serve Migrants and Refugees and Engage in National and Global Advocacy

Summary

San Antonio pledges to serve migrants and refugees by funding its Migrant Resource Center (MRC) for direct service delivery, becoming a certified Welcoming City, and engaging in national and global advocacy to improve immigration and asylum policies.

As the United States’ seventh largest city just 150 miles from the Mexico border, San Antonio hosts thousands of newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Central America. In response, San Antonio launched the Migrant Resource Center (MRC) in July 2022 to provide essential services such as legal assistance and social support for asylum seekers. Beyond humanitarian response, San Antonio aims to enhance its community engagement collaborations, fostering long-term refugee inclusion and improving accountability to the city’s migrant and refugee communities. To reinforce these commitments, San Antonio will become a certified Welcoming City and engage in advocacy efforts with state, federal, and global officials. These initiatives serve as a countermeasure to adverse state and federal policies that impede migrants' right to asylum. The city will also engage in global advocacy, leveraging Mayor Ron Nirenberg's as the newest member of the Mayors Migration Council's Leadership Board.