Fifty San Antonio Police Department officers helped undertake a controversial federal immigration raid that detained 140 people last month at what authorities maintain was an after-hours nightclub, the Express-News reports.
The officers provided “perimeter security and traffic containment,” Lt. David Bacarreza, a deputy chief of staff, said in the story, the first to clarify SAPD’s involvement in the raid. He added that the department responds to federal agencies’ requests for perimeter security but doesn’t “directly assist” with immigration roundups.
The Nov. 16 raid, carried out near San Padro Avenue and Basse Road by a new Homeland Security Task Force, have drawn the ire of immigrant-rights activists and Democratic lawmakers. Critics argue the feds have failed to be transparent about the raid and haven’t revealed vital details, including the names of most of those detained and where they’re being held…