Why San Antonio is closing its Migrant Resource Center
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A group of migrants walks from the Migrant Resource Center to a nearby shopping center in search of food. Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images
San Antonio officials said Monday they're phasing out the Migrant Resource Center (MRC), citing a drop-off in the number of arrivals at the center.
Why it matters: Since 2022, city officials have maintained that the MRC, also called the Centro de Bienvenida, kept migrants off San Antonio streets, calling it a compassionate response to the then-high levels of people arriving in the city.
What they're saying: "The number of migrants currently arriving at the MRC no longer justifies the cost of running it," city manager Erik Walsh said in a statement. "Until now, the MRC has served a vital role to ensure the safety and security of both residents and migrants passing through San Antonio."
- "Though this crisis has been a result of decades of neglect at the federal level, we should be proud of our local response," Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a separate statement.
- "Our three priorities with the Migrant Resource Center were to promote public safety, maintain order and treat people humanely."
The latest: The center stopped accepting new arrivals Monday, though 88 people were still staying there. The majority already had travel plans to places identified in their U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol paperwork, per a city news release.
- Catholic Charities plans to assist the remaining migrants with securing travel.
By the numbers: Migrant arrivals in San Antonio declined 72% between January 2024 and January 2025, per the city — from 8,264 to 2,316.
Context: The city opened the MRC in the Shearer Hills neighborhood in July 2022 with the help of federal funding. Catholic Charities later took over operations.
- The center was meant to assist people after they were released from federal immigration custody and needed resources during their brief stay in San Antonio.
- Since January 2021, the city said, it has helped more than 640,000 migrants traveling through San Antonio.
Between the lines: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed the city for $22.5 million of the $35 million it's spent so far on the migrant center, but San Antonio is still seeking federal reimbursement for $12.4 million.
- The Trump administration has threatened to cut off funding to aid groups working with immigrants, though it's unclear if it has done so already.
- "I'm not going to worry about it too much," Walsh told reporters Monday. "We'll continue to work through whatever the rules are — if they change, then we'll adjust."
State of play: District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte, who has long said the city should close the MRC, celebrated Monday's announcement.
- Citing concerns about federal funding, Whyte said in a statement that "closing the MRC was the only option as we should never consider using our residents' tax dollars to fund such an operation."
What's next: "San Antonio remains a compassionate community which will continue to work with our partner agencies to meet any additional migrant arrivals with care," Nirenberg said.