People at San Antonio’s Migrant Resource Center line up for provisions from nonprofit group Catholic Charities. Credit: Sanford Nowlin

Federal lawmakers’ approval of a $1.2 trillion spending package over the weekend includes a lifeline for San Antonio’s cash-strapped Migrant Resource Center, according to the San Antonio Report.

The package includes $650 million for the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant that funds the Migrant Resource Center and other facilities that assist migrants who have applied for asylum in the United States.

Earlier this month, Mayor Ron Nirenberg warned the city was making emergency plans for the shelter after Senate Republicans killed off a bipartisan border security bill that would have extended its funding. While Catholic Charities operates the North San Antonio facility, the nonprofit has relied on federal reimbursement.

Much of the funding that goes into the Migrant Resource Center buys plane and bus tickets that allow migrants to reach relatives or host families elsewhere in the country. In December, city leaders told the feral government they needed some $57 million in funding to continue providing those services through 2024, according to the San Antonio Report.

While the new SSP funding approved over the weekend is less than the $800 million allocated in last year’s budget, Assistant City Manager Jeff Coyle told the San Antonio Report he welcomes the news.

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This article appears in Mar 6-19, 2024.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...