In a troubling development for San Antonio’s immigrant community, Pastor Dianne Garcia says ICE has arrested 12 members of her church, with seven already deported.
ICE Arrests During Check-Ins
“ICE has been very active here in San Antonio. We’ve had a number of members of our congregation detained in various circumstances. Right now there are five members of our congregation currently in detention,” Garcia told Border Report. “In the last three weeks, we’ve had two single mothers detained with their children, one with her 3-year-old toddler and one with her three younger children.”
Garcia says the arrests began six weeks ago and all occurred when congregants went for their mandatory ICE check-in meetings, which take place roughly every six months for migrants in asylum or immigration proceedings. “The majority have been arrested when they’ve gone to the ICE office to present themselves for their regularly scheduled check-in,” she added.
DHS Response
When Border Report asked Department of Homeland Security officials if ICE agents are making arrests at check-in meetings, a DHS spokesperson replied: “Apprehensions at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices may occur if individuals are identified as having outstanding warrants; being subject to court-issued removal orders; or having committed fraud, crimes, or other violations of immigration law while in the United States. These actions are typically carried out by law enforcement partners, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”
“Apprehensions at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices may occur if individuals are identified as having outstanding warrants; being subject to court-issued removal orders; or having committed fraud, crimes, or other violations of immigration law.”DHS spokesperson
Impact on the Congregation
Iglesia Cristiana Roca de Refugio, founded in April 2023 to aid immigrants on San Antonio’s south side, offers all services in Spanish. Garcia, 46 and a second-generation immigrant, says the church was created to give people a sense of home when they feel they do not belong elsewhere.
“We actually started the church before all of this happened years ago with the idea to be a place of home and belonging for people who were far from their home and are often told they don’t belong here,” she explained.
She describes the situation as “really hard to talk to people about having hope when it feels so hopeless and it feels like you could do everything right and still be treated terribly and be detained and separated from your family or deported. It’s really hard to talk to people about the fact that anyone could be detained at any time, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a criminal background, that actually what they’re saying is not what they’re doing, that they are targeting anyone they can, I assume, just to have their numbers at a certain level,” Garcia said.
The Trump administration’s stated goal to remove all immigrants with criminal backgrounds is contradicted by data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University, which shows that nearly three quarters of those detained as of Nov. 30 have no criminal convictions.
Garcia highlighted a recent arrest: a single mother from Venezuela in her mid-30s who worked as a cook in a local restaurant. “She had a work permit and driver’s license and she’s also just a model person. She’s an incredible member of our community and completely beloved by everybody,” she said.
The detained individuals are being held at the Karnes County Immigration Processing center southeast of San Antonio and the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Dilley, Texas. Garcia noted the facilities are crowded, with mothers and children waiting for medical care, toiletries, food, and daily classes. She has visited congregants at both sites, including last week.
“I know of maybe 40 people in detention and 40 families who are trying to work through what they’re going to do now that that member of their family has been detained,” Garcia said. “They really want to be here and want to be a part of our community and they really want to help us build a stronger community and a better world.”
Key Takeaways
- 12 members of Iglesia Cristiana Roca de Refugio have been arrested by ICE, with 7 deported.
- Arrests began six weeks ago during mandatory check-in meetings held every six months.
- DHS says apprehensions can occur if individuals have outstanding warrants or court-issued removal orders.
- Nearly three quarters of those detained have no criminal convictions, per TRAC data.
The case underscores the challenges faced by immigrants in San Antonio amid intensified enforcement and highlights the strain on a tight-knit community seeking stability and belonging.
