San Antonio police help ICE agents conduct raid that results in 12 migrant arrests

The San Antonio Police Department assisted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they conducted a Wednesday raid at the operations of a local seafood retailer, the Express-News reports.

Three SAPD officers provided “perimeter support” at an unidentified retail location as requested by the Department of Homeland Security, according to a memo City Attorney Andy Segovia sent new Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and City Council. As a result of the raid, federal agents took 12 people into custody, states the document, which was obtained by the daily.

Jones — whose election campaign focused on pushing back against the Trump administration on issues including its mass deportation operations — was unavailable for immediate comment on SAPD’s participation in the raid.

Wednesday’s action marks the first time in “several months” San Antonio police have been asked to help federal agents in immigration enforcement, according to the memo cited by the Express-News.

However, Segovia wrote that Homeland Security’s request is one “that is squarely within the scope” of Senate Bill 4. That Texas state law, passed in 2017, requires city police and county sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration officials when asked.

The raid at the seafood retailer comes weeks after President Donald Trump demanded that ICE increase its daily quota to 3,000 migrant arrests a day. As a result of the change, some U.S. citizens and legal residents have been caught up in the crosshairs, prompting accusations of racial profiling.

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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 9, 2025.