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Overview
- Affirmative asylum interviews for San Antonio applicants can be held at the San Antonio Asylum Office, 106 S. St. Mary Street, 7th Floor, open since May 28, 2026.
- Defensive asylum cases in San Antonio are heard at the Immigration Court, 800 Dolorosa Street, Suite 300, or at the Pearsall Immigration Court if the person is detained.
- Asylum must be filed within one year of the last arrival in the United States unless an exception applies; missing it can leave only withholding of removal.
- Families are commonly held at Dilley or Karnes County and single adults at Pearsall, where a positive credible-fear finding sends the case to an immigration judge.
- Phone
- (210) 787-3916
- Reviewed
- October 19, 2026
Affirmative asylum: the San Antonio Asylum Office
Someone who is not in removal proceedings applies for asylum affirmatively by filing Form I-589 with USCIS within one year of their last arrival, unless an exception applies. Late filings require proof of changed or extraordinary circumstances, and a missed deadline can leave withholding of removal, a harder standard, as the only option. For years San Antonio applicants were interviewed by the Houston Asylum Office, which meant a trip down I-10 for the interview. In 2026 USCIS opened the San Antonio Asylum Office at 106 S. St. Mary Street, 7th Floor, downtown, and since May 28, 2026 applicants in the Houston asylum jurisdiction may be interviewed there. Biometrics are still taken at the Application Support Center on SE Loop 410. The interview is non-adversarial: an asylum officer takes the applicant's testimony, usually through an interpreter, and either grants asylum or refers the case to the immigration court.
Defensive asylum at Dolorosa Street and Pearsall
A person already in removal proceedings applies for asylum, withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture as a defense before the immigration judge. Non-detained cases are heard at the San Antonio Immigration Court, 800 Dolorosa Street, Suite 300; people held at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall are heard at the Pearsall Immigration Court inside that facility, on a much faster schedule. The government is represented by an ICE attorney who cross-examines the applicant. The I-589 is filed with the court, not USCIS, and the one-year deadline still applies. An affirmative case that the asylum office refers lands on the same Dolorosa Street docket.
Many asylum cases in South Texas begin with an arrest at or near the border and a credible-fear interview conducted while the person is detained. Families are commonly held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, which ICE describes as a family residential center, or at Karnes County; single adults at Pearsall. A positive credible-fear finding puts the case before a judge. We prepare detained clients for the interview by phone and in person, submit declarations and evidence in advance where the process allows, and seek release so the case can be prepared from San Antonio rather than from a detention center.
Asylum is won on specifics: who harmed the applicant, why, what the government did or failed to do, and why relocation inside the home country is not reasonable. For Mexican clients, our Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and Mexico City offices gather police reports, medical records, death certificates and witness statements that are hard to obtain from Texas, and document conditions in the applicant's specific state. For Central American clients we work with country-conditions experts and the applicant's family abroad. After a grant, an asylee can apply for a work permit, a travel document, and a green card after one year, and can petition for a spouse and children left behind within two years. Those follow-to-join cases for relatives in Mexico run through the consulate in Ciudad Juárez, where our office handles the interview preparation.
Asylum cases we handle from San Antonio
- A San Antonio resident on a visa who cannot return home and must file the I-589 before the one-year deadline
- An applicant whose affirmative interview has been scheduled at the San Antonio Asylum Office on S. St. Mary Street
- A Mexican family that fled cartel extortion in Michoacán or Guerrero and is held at Dilley awaiting a credible-fear interview
- A single adult at the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall with a positive credible-fear finding and a hearing in weeks
- A woman in removal proceedings at the Dolorosa Street court seeking asylum based on domestic violence her government would not stop
- A Venezuelan or Nicaraguan client whose affirmative case was referred to the San Antonio Immigration Court
- An LGBTQ applicant from Central America with a defensive case and a need for expert and medical evidence
- An asylee in San Antonio petitioning for a spouse and children in Honduras to follow to join
Sound like your situation? Request a consultation or call (210) 787-3916.
How we run an asylum case from San Antonio
Intake and deadline check
We establish the date of last entry, whether removal proceedings exist, and which track the case belongs on, and we calendar the one-year deadline.
Declaration and evidence
We take the client's full account in English or Spanish, draft the declaration, and gather identity, medical, police and country-conditions evidence, including records from Mexico through our offices there.
Filing
We file the I-589 with USCIS for affirmative cases or with the San Antonio or Pearsall court for defensive ones, and prepare the client for biometrics at the ASC on SE Loop 410.
Interview or hearing preparation
We rehearse the testimony, prepare witnesses and any expert, and brief the legal theory, whether the setting is the Asylum Office on S. St. Mary Street or a courtroom.
Decision and next steps
We attend the interview or try the hearing, pursue any appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and after a grant handle the work permit, green card and family petitions.
Questions from San Antonio clients
Where is the asylum office in San Antonio?
The San Antonio Asylum Office is at 106 S. St. Mary Street, 7th Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205. USCIS opened it in 2026, and since May 28, 2026 applicants in the Houston Asylum Office jurisdiction may be interviewed there. Your interview notice will say which office.
How much does an asylum lawyer cost in San Antonio?
Consultations are available in person at our downtown office, by phone or by video, in English and Spanish, and fees are discussed at the consultation.
What is the deadline to apply for asylum?
One year from your last arrival in the United States. Exceptions exist for changed circumstances, such as a new danger at home or a change in your own situation, and for extraordinary circumstances that prevented filing, but each must be proven.
My brother is detained at Pearsall and says he is afraid to go back. What happens next?
He should tell every officer he speaks with that he fears return. An asylum officer will conduct a credible-fear interview; a positive finding sends the case to the immigration judge at Pearsall. We can prepare him by phone before the interview and request release afterward.
Can my family at Dilley get asylum?
Yes, through the same process. Families at Dilley are typically in expedited removal, go through a credible-fear interview, and if the finding is positive the case moves to a judge. ICE reports an average family stay of about 20 days there. We prepare the family for the interview and work on release.
Can I work while my asylum case is pending in San Antonio?
You can apply for a work permit after your I-589 has been pending 150 days, and it can be granted once 180 days have passed without delays caused by you. We calendar the dates when we file.
Does the asylum officer or judge speak Spanish?
Interviews and hearings are conducted in English with an interpreter. At the asylum office you generally bring your own interpreter; in court the court provides one. We prepare your testimony in Spanish so nothing is lost in translation.
Will my asylum interview be in Houston or San Antonio?
Your interview notice controls. Since May 28, 2026, USCIS may schedule applicants in the Houston jurisdiction, which includes San Antonio, at the San Antonio Asylum Office downtown rather than in Houston.
What if my asylum case is denied by the judge?
You can appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals within 30 days, and a timely appeal keeps the removal order from taking effect. Withholding of removal and Convention Against Torture protection are decided in the same hearing and may be granted even if asylum is not.
Every case is different — these answers are general information, not legal advice about your situation. For advice about your case, call (210) 787-3916 or request a consultation.