HATE IS A CHOICE:

The warmth and generosity of the welcome Apunte Dias says her family received in this south-central Texas city was echoed in descriptions shared by a dozen other migrants here who spoke with the Globe. San Antonio residents welcomed them with new clothes, assistance with plane tickets, and, for many, a prayer, as the migrants made their way to new lives in cities scattered across the nation and to wait for their asylum requests to be adjudicated.

Locals say this hospitality toward outsiders is a longstanding tradition in the city, the first major metropolitan area that many crossing the US border with Mexico encounter. It is an ingrained spirit that marks this as an island of acceptance in ever-redder Texas, and makes it seem like a strange hunting ground for a politician to exploit new arrivals in a political ploy aimed at burnishing national ambitions. [...]

The dignified welcome offered by so many San Antonio residents amid the demonization of those crossing the border by some in the Republican base captures the duality of America's immigration debate. It's a city that is facing the direct repercussions of a lack of federal immigration reforms and an effective border policy, while defining itself as a welcoming place where a "Charter for Compassion" hangs in the doorway of the mayor's office.

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