San Antonio is one of four cities in the US where the reunification of immigrant families separated by the zero-tolerance policy of the Trump administration at the US border is being helped by faith-based organizations. The immigration policy has since been rescinded and a federal judge has ordered the government to reunite the families by 26 July.
On Monday, J Antonio Fernandez, CEO of the Catholic Charities of San Antonio, said that organizations there, and in McAllen, Phoenix, and El Paso had been enlisted to function as national service centers. Fernandez said his agency is now capable of handling up to 100 reunited families per day, although government information on the pace and number of the cases has so far been lacking, calling it ‘an emergency response’.
Catholic Charities announced late last week that its national offices had contacted them to prepare for reunification cases, which could number up to 400, but the estimates had since increased and decreased several times, reflecting the federal government’s chaotic response to the judge’s order. The agency had expected a visit from the US Attorney General’s Office on Monday afternoon.
Catholic Charities began preparing for the influx over the weekend, with a command center set up on the second floor of its main office, near San Antonio College, to coordinate clothing, destinations, and housing for immigrant families, many of whom are from Central America.