The San Antonio City Council faced hours of heated public testimony Thursday as residents, advocates and local officials debated the city’s legal obligations to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, amid ongoing federal enforcement activity in the region.
The special meeting drew long lines to enter council chambers and repeated disruptions that led Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones to call multiple recesses.
Speakers overwhelmingly criticized ICE tactics and urged the city to limit cooperation where possible, even as officials emphasized that Texas law constrains local policy. Former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told council the enforcement climate “creates chaos,” adding: “It is un-American. It is undemocratic, and it is wrong,” as reported by local news site MySA…