The City of San Antonio will continue to use tax money to provide legal aid services for illegal immigrants, over the objections of Councilman Greg Brockhouse that the expenditure is not one of the 'core functions of government,' News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Brockhouse flagged what otherwise would have been a routine appropriation to various legal aid organizations to provide legal services, including citizenship services, legal aid to avoid deportation, and 'know your rights' sessions geared toward helping people who are in the country illegally.
"There are legitimate concerns in our community about spending our tax dollars in our community, and that deserves a conversation," Brockhouse said.
Several members of Council reacted with indignation to Brockhouse's questions.
Southwest side Councilman Rey Saldana compared the effort to the city's lawsuit that successfully blocked the state law banning 'sanctuary cities.' He says the individuals affected are San Antonio residents, and the city needs to support them.
"Attempting to humanize this situation is the best way I can emphasize the need for allocating funding to provide educational and legal services to individuals seeking to change their immigration status," Saldana said. "If we have the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of hard-working individuals who have the chance to become citizens, permanent residents, or apply for deferred action, I hope we do not let this opportunity slip away. The time to act is now and the decision we make will have perpetual effects."
Saldana pointed out that many of the people who are in the U.S. illegally are taxpaying residents of San Antonio, and many even own homes.
West side Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales echoed Saldana's concerns.
"It is important that we continue supporting legal services for low income residents. A person’s income should not be a barrier to their rights, every resident should have to access legal services," she said in a statement.
Brockhouse said many people in his district and across the city do not support spending taxpayer money on any services for people who are in the country illegally.
"Is this a servies that is a core service of the city, when we are spending our tax dollars on undocumented persons," Brockhouse asked.