Business owners near Migrant Resource Center see sharp drop in migrants

SAN ANTONIO – Outside the Migrant Resource Center, the parking lot is quite deserted. This is a stark change from a few months ago, when hundreds of migrants were waiting to enter.

“Right now we barely have anyone coming in,” said Lori Haney, who works at the mall near the MRC.

Haney has spoken with dozens of migrants since the center opened in 2021.

“At first they came asking for money, asking for food,” Haney said.

But she said it hasn't happened as often in the past two weeks.

“It seems like we've started to see a decrease in the number of people coming into the store or even on the sidewalk, you know, or on the street going through the parking lot,” Haney said.

KSAT spoke with several business owners who said they saw fewer people.

At least 20,000 migrants passed through San Antonio each month between July 2023 and December 2023, according to the city's migrant dashboard.

In January 2024, 8,264 migrants passed through there. Every month thereafter, there were around 6,000 migrants or fewer.

Some say they noticed the drop when President Biden announced his executive order limiting the number of migrants seeking asylum at the border.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar were at the White House to support the executive order.

Republicans criticized him, questioning why the president waited so long.

As for the Migrant Resource Center, it could remain open until September 2026 thanks to federal funding.

Haney has seen some migrants struggle and hopes they will get help adjusting.

“They come here not knowing what to actually learn or know or what to do,” she said. “And then they come without personal items, without money. Many of them say they have no money at all. So it's quite sad to see this happening.

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