An Open Letter to City Council During COVID-19

Dear City of San Antonio Mayor & Councilmember,

Never in my life did I think I would go through something like the COVID-19 pandemic. You have all seen San Antonio come together in ways unimaginable. We are all faced with challenges and hard decisions during this crisis — you all more-so than most — but something to consider is our privilege and the omission of our Nation’s undocumented residents by the federal government. We have a chance to remedy even some of that omission. You have an opportunity to show our residents what Austin and Chicago have shown theirs – compassion and comradery.

Residents are part of the makeup of our San Antonio community. They work day-in and day-out to make a living, pay their taxes, and grow their families in a city that is home. Residents counted in Census counts contribute to the delegates that Texas provides at the National level. They help determine how much communities in crisis – like we are now – receive from the federal government.

San Antonio celebrates Fiesta and Día de Los Muertos on the heels of residents every year. Food, cultural programming, and arts administration are at the cornerstone of San Antonio’s daily living. Artisans and musicians, also many of whom are residents – allow our city to be full of music and visitors. Without them, we miss out, and visitors miss out on so much. The histories of our residents were the threads that weaved the fabric of San Antonio de Bejar into the San Antonio we know and love today.

San Antonio is not a perfect city, but we can continually strive to be. Leaders like you and leaders in our community have made strides to ensure the wellbeing and safety of San Antonio during the COVID-19 crisis. We see aid sent down from the federal government to citizens, and we see so many standing up to help our elderly and our children in the community with needs, but unfortunately, it isn’t enough.

It is time to follow in the tracks of the leaders in Austin and Chicago. We are the state with the second largest population of immigrants, and we need to show our community that no matter where you come from and what you believe in, we are all in this together. It is time to help our resident population.

“Teamwork. Integrity. Innovation. Professionalism.” are the City of San Antonio Core Values, and as a city, we need to uphold those values and show the Nation that San Antonio is the place to be.

Sincerely,

A San Antonian.