Contra Border Security Expo SATX
San Antonio City Council
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Why is this important?
Since 2016, the City of San Antonio has allowed the Border Security Expo to take place in the public Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, skipping only 2021 when the Expo was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, community members stood in protest against the event, and do so again this year in 2022. The Expo glorifies border militarization and the surveillance of border communities, destruction of indigenous land, family separation, death it creates. During the Expo, the immigration officials who implement the United States’ cruel immigration policies and the companies that profit off of them further their business relationships and celebrate their hateful anti-immigrant work.
As a self-defined “Compassionate City,” San Antonio must redefine “security” to mean access to food, housing, health care, education, and work, not border militarization that only benefits politicians and private companies. We demand a compassionate San Antonio that envisions, fosters, and creates a welcome home for immigrants, not one that enables those who terrorize them. Please sign the petition to tell Mayor Ron Nirenburg and the rest of the San Antonio City Council not to allow the Border Security Expo in our Convention Center in 2023 or ever again.
Sponsored by
To:
San Antonio City Council
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Mayor Nirenberg and San Antonio City Council members,
We write to you as your constituents to urge you to stop allowing the Border Security Expo to take place in our public Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The Expo glorifies border militarization, which has been shown not to deter migration but instead push border crossers into more remote and dangerous terrain, leading to the discovery of the remains of over 8,000 people near the border since 1998. The real death toll is likely much higher, as many people’s remains will never be found. Over 200 more people been killed by encounters with Customs and Border Protection since 2010. Border militarization also leads to the surveillance of border communities, destruction of indigenous land, and the separation of family members.
During the Expo, the immigration officials who implement the United States’ cruel immigration policies and the companies that profit off of them further their business relationships and celebrate their hateful anti-immigrant work. This does not represent our values as a “Compassionate City”. Allowing the Border Security Expo to take place in a public facility sends a message to immigrants that they are not welcome in our community. I ask that City Council not allow this event to occur in 2023 or any future year.