SAN ANTONIO, Texas — United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested several illegal aliens who were allegedly employed by a construction subcontractor performing work on the University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) main campus. The arrests took place during a warrant-based worksite raid carried out by ICE on Friday afternoon.
ICE issued a brief statement regarding the worksite enforcement action, saying, “On May 30, ICE San Antonio conducted an enforcement action on the northwest side of San Antonio. This operation resulted in the arrest of several individuals who were in the United States unlawfully. No further details are available at this time.”
ICE did not provide any information concerning the number of illegal aliens arrested. UTSA officials confirmed the law enforcement action in a statement issued shortly after the warrants were served.
The University provided the following limited information:
We learned this afternoon that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were on campus today serving warrants on individuals who were working for a subcontractor on a Main Campus construction project. Per law enforcement protocol, UTSA PD provided perimeter control to ensure campus safety and was not involved in the arrests. No students, faculty or staff were detained in this law enforcement action. Inquiries regarding today’s action should be directed to ICE.
Breitbart Texas visited the campus after the worksite enforcement action and spoke to one student about the presence of ICE officers on the campus. Rebecca R., who is attending classes as part of the current summer session, told Breitbart Texas the action by the ICE agents went largely unnoticed by the limited student body on campus. UTSA recently held its graduation ceremony in May.
According to Rebecca, the action did not spark any personal concern for her, and she felt that other students she is acquainted with would probably not be opposed to the action if they were aware of it. “I don’t think any of the students I know would be fearful of ICE agents present on campus. I think if there were any reaction, it would be one of surprise that people who are illegally employed are on the campus to begin with,” Rebecca emphasized.
The worksite enforcement action comes as the Trump administration ramped up mass deportation operations nationwide. Universities and other educational institutions are no longer exempt from ICE worksite enforcement or other immigration related law enforcement actions. Shortly after his inauguration, President Trump ended a Biden-era policy prohibiting the enforcement of immigration law on school campuses, places of worship, and hospitals that were designated as “protected areas.”
In a statement issued by a DHS spokesperson announcing the ending of the prohibition placed upon ICE and CBP agents, directive was described as an action that “empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens—including murders and rapists—who have illegally come into our country. Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense.”
A request for more information from ICE regarding the worksite enforcement action remains unanswered.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before 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 X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
