SAN ANTONIO – Two and a half months into President Donald Trump’s second term and the administration continues to crack down on illegal immigration.
According to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants surged by 627% during Trump’s first month in office.
KSAT received an exclusive look at arrests in San Antonio during an ICE enforcement and removal operation. It was the first media ride along with ICE San Antonio since Trump took office.
ICE San Antonio Acting Field Office Director Sylvester Ortega and another officer drove KSAT reporter Zaria Oates all across San Antonio to arrest several people with criminal charges who are accused of entering the country illegally.
ICE officers aim to make arrests seven days a week. Typically, about 50 officers are on the street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with some exceptions.
“We don’t know what kind of areas we go into,” Ortega said. “If there’s gang activity, obviously, the gang members who are in the surrounding area could pick up on law enforcement and tactical vehicles.”
While some days involve drug or gang activity, other days can be quiet for some officers.
“If we find out either our cover’s been compromised or the target is just not cooperative, we’ll just regroup,” Ortega said. “We’ll go back to the office. We’ll help with processing.”
Processing happens at a temporary holding facility that also serves as a check-in facility for immigrants who have been released from detention but still need to check in.
When processing an immigrant after an arrest, KSAT observed officers unhandcuff the individual, instruct them to empty their pockets, conduct a search, and then place their personal belongings into bags.
After being searched, immigrants are fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a temporary holding cell with other immigrants.
“If they have children and are sole providers, we’ll let them make contact through our telephone system,” Ortega said. “They have every right to make telephone contacts to make sure that their children are taken care of.”
Arrested immigrants can also contact their spouses by telephone at the facility, according to Ortega.
Some immigrants can be repatriated or returned to their home country as early as the same day. According to Ortega, this is possible if the person’s home country is close to a nearby border, such as Eagle Pass. Otherwise, ICE will provide them with temporary overnight accommodation at another location until they can return to their home country.
According to an ICE spokesperson, in certain cases involving criminal charges, immigrants may be required to serve time in a U.S. facility for their offenses before being deported to their home country.
A large part of an ICE San Antonio officer’s day involves waiting for the people they are arresting to appear in public, according to Ortega. Their goal is to avoid causing a disturbance in the neighborhood and to ensure that the arrest proceeds smoothly.
ICE has not provided specific numbers on arrests in San Antonio during the Trump administration. However, they informed KSAT that their priority is to arrest people who have committed criminal offenses in addition to entering the country illegally. These offenses include weapons charges, drug-related crimes, and sex crimes.
