SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Outside San Antonio’s non-government welcome center for migrants, Breitbart Texas interviewed Luis Gomez, a Venezuelan migrant who says he just wants to go home. Hundreds of migrants moved along the Alamo City’s San Pedro Avenue on a brisk Saturday morning, hoping to leave the city for other parts of the United States. In a sign that resources available to the migrants may be dwindling, Gomez has now become disillusioned with the American dream.
Gomez, like other migrants Breitbart Texas spoke with, is being told he must leave the shelter soon or face eviction. Venezuelan migrants who cannot fund their transportation away from the city and have no relatives or sponsors in the United States willing to fund their travel expenses could be seen walking aimlessly on the streets surrounding the shelter. Some were observed loitering in parking lots, hoping to perform day laborer services to assist in funding their departure.
Migrants loitering in San Antonio, Texas. (Randy Clark/Breitbart Texas)
Gomez told Breitbart Texas that what he has found thus far is not what he expected. With no money or prospect of finding work, he depends on the shelter to provide food and a roof over his head. That may be ending soon, Gomez says.
Gomez explained he and many other Venezuelans come to the United States for economic reasons. As to whether he made a deliberate declaration of asylum or claimed a credible fear when apprehended, Gomez says immigration authorities at the border never asked.
Gomez’s statements to Breitbart Texas reveal the number of crossings and the limited capacity to return migrants from Venezuela might be forcing CBP to release migrants regardless of whether a claim of fear is presented or not. Despite a recent plan announced by CBP to return Venezuelan migrants to their home country, little evidence could be seen at the San Antonio shelter as buses of migrants from the border, mostly Venezuelan nationals, arrived on Saturday.
When asked what his message to others in Venezuela hoping to make the journey to the United States, Gomez says, “If you have someone to receive you, come. If not, don’t come. It’s hard.”
Gomez now finds himself in a difficult predicament, facing a removal hearing in 2025. He is in a legal status until such time and will not be taken into custody by ICE anytime soon. This leaves him with no hope that federal authorities will facilitate or fund his return home anytime soon.
As sanctuary cities across the country struggle to cope with the constant arrival of migrants, resources dedicated to accommodating their needs have strained city budgets. As reported by Breitbart Texas, New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently visited Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador to encourage migrants to avoid his city.
City officials in Denver have embarked on a campaign to distribute flyers to migrants in Texas, discouraging them from heading to that sanctuary city as well. The flyers tell migrants the city is out of resources to assist them and affordable housing is not available.
Despite the warnings and the waning welcome from sanctuary cities, the migrant flow along the southwest border shows no signs of slowing as two million migrants crossed into the United States for the second consecutive year.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
