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Community leaders press Bexar County to renew immigrant legal defense fund
Summary
Multiple community organizations and speakers urged Bexar County Commissioners Court to put renewal of the Immigrant Legal Defense Fund on the next agenda, saying the contract has lapsed and families face deportation without counsel; advocates cited case counts, program outcomes and the fund's local economic impact.
A coalition of advocates and service providers told the Bexar County Commissioners Court that the county's Immigrant Legal Defense Fund (ILDF) has expired, leaving hundreds of families without counsel at a time of increased immigration enforcement.
Ananda Thomas, executive director of ACT for SA, said the ILDF has helped hundreds of families secure due process since its creation and demanded that commissioners place renewal of the fund on the next agenda. "We are here today to demand that the ILDF be put on the agenda and renewed immediately," Thomas said.
Other speakers described specific impacts. Erica Quiros, an insurance agent who works with undocumented residents, recounted clients detained by ICE and urged commissioners to "say no to unlawful ICE enforcement and yes to protecting our neighbors' rights." An organizer who identified themself as Christian said the contract "has been unfunded for over a month" and stressed the human consequences of legal representation lapses.
Priscilla Olivares of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center provided program statistics and argued the fund is both morally and economically important: she said the fund had represented at least 95 children and that as of a few weeks earlier San Antonio ranked fourth in the nation for ICE arrests (an updated figure by her account). Monica Pepping of Rice for Immigrants urged not only renewal but increased funding to meet community needs.
Speakers requested immediate action from the court. Commissioners acknowledged the comments but did not adopt a motion to immediately reauthorize funding during this session. The transcript records multiple pleas for scheduling the ILDF renewal and for commissioners to "vote yes" when the item appears on the agenda.
