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Bexar County commissioners this week approved more than a half-a-million dollars for American Gateways to continue to provide migrant legal services to those living in the county through February of next year.
But the approval did not come without opposition.
Republican Precinct 3 County Commissioner Grant Moody voted no on the funding. Moody questioned who exactly was being offered county-funded legal services through American Gateways.
“If they are non-citizens and they are violent offenders, then they should not be here. We should deport them, and I don’t understand why that is controversial,” he said. “I don’t think it is controversial to 80, 90% of Americans.”
A representative of American Gateways told Moody their primary clients are families and children, who they are trying to keep united as they are processed through federal immigration court. With that comment, Democratic Precinct 1 County Commissioner Rebeca Clay Flores told the organization they have her support.
“We need to continue to fight for human rights,” she said. “And I am so glad that we have organizations like you all to continue to do that. And that we don’t micromanage and allow you to make decisions, knowing that it’s not supporting violent criminals, but indeed children and families.”
Moody said there is nothing in the county’s contract with American Gateways to specify the organization is not defending migrants who are violent offenders. He said that if their work is confined to families and children, the contract could be amended to reflect that and should have been amended in the last year or year-and-a-half.
American Gateways told commissioners local federal immigration court has been targeted for arrests of adults and children, who were lawfully in attendance for court proceedings. Their clients include six children still in immigration detention.
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