San Antonio halted operations at the Migrant Resource Center on Monday, Feb. 3, due to the significant decline in migrants arriving.
The MRC was established in July 2022 to assist migrants traveling through San Antonio. The center offered services — such as case management, local transportation, navigation assistance, food and access to communication devices.
San Antonio has helped over 640,000 migrants transit through the city to reach their final destinations safely. However, from January 2024 to January 2025 there was a drastic 72% decrease in the number of migrants traveling through the city. Last January, the MRC served 8,264 people. This January, the center served 2,316 migrants.
According to various city estimates, running the facility came out to a monthly cost of between $800,000 and $1.2 million in 2024. A city spokesman claims that this year, the city is spending a monthly amount of $500,000 on the facility. The city calculates that approximately $12.4 million is still waiting for compensation from the federal government.
Local officials gave statements concerning the immediate shutdown.
“The number of migrants currently arriving at the MRC no longer justifies the cost of running it,” City Manager Erik Walsh said. “I think we’ve seen about an average of 12 for the last week per day.”
District 10 City Council Marc Whyte showed his support for the decision.
“As the City now finds itself in a place where future funding for the MRC is in doubt, closing the MRC was the only option as we should never consider using our residents’ tax dollars to fund such an operation,” Whyte explained. “Our city dollars should be strictly focused on delivering high-quality services to our residents, including enhancing the safety and preserving the character of our city.”
Mayor Ron Nirenberg informed the public, “San Antonio remains a compassionate community that will continue to work with our partner agencies to meet any additional migrant arrivals with care.”
This closure marks the end of a chapter in the city’s endeavor to help migrants with their travels, but only time will tell what chapter comes next.
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