Local immigration advocates say a series of raids on undocumented immigrants that began last week and continued into the weekend have had a 'chilling effect' on immigrants living in the San Antonio area, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Jonathan Ryan, an attorney who heads the San Antonio based Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Services says there is now a 'sense of fear and insecurity' among immigrants, as everybody is worried that they could be next.
Ryan questions what benefit the raids could have on the country.
"These actions do not make us safe," he said. "When they do is drive communities underground, and when that happens, none of us is safe."
Ryan says he has heard stories of immigrants pulling their kids out of school, because they're afraid that the student may get off the bus in the afternoon and nobody will be home.
He questions claims by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the people being targeted for arrest and deportation are 'criminal' immigrants.
"In the process of targeting these people, ICE is creating a wide dragnet, and has swept up others."
ICE says the raids took place in several states, including Texas, but officials dispute characterization of the activity as a 'round up,' saying it is the normal business of the agency.
They also dispute claims that the raids are connected with President Trump's get tough policy on immigrants, pointing out that the raids were planned and actually began under the Obama Adminsitration.
"Anybody who is in the community who feels unsafe is in fact being driven into isolation," Ryan said. "They are being driven away from their neighbor because nobody wants to associate with someone who may be the target of these raids."
IMAGE; GETTY