Immigrant and civil rights advocates warned Texas Republicans to expect not just legal repercussions to the state’s racist “show me your papers” legislation, but economic blowback as well. Earlier today, a 15,000-strong legal organization became the first group to pull its convention from the state:
The American Immigration Lawyers Association was scheduled to hold its 3-day event in Grapevine next year, but said the bill’s “dangerous, destructive and counter productive proposals” go against the group’s mission. About 3,000 people were expected to attend the convention.
According to the Texas Tribune, because AILA’s Grapevine conference “was booked years ago,” the group “could face financial penalties for relocating … but the group chose to cancel the event anyway due to the new law,” an anti-sanctuary cities piece of legislation that, if unsuccessfully blocked by the courts, will force local law enforcement officers to become federal immigration agents.
“One of the issues that drove the board’s decision was concern on behalf of quite a number of our members that they might not be willing to bring themselves or their families to Texas,” AILA president Bill Stock told reporters during a conference call. “Our members are US citizens and green card holders but many of them come from ethnic communities where they felt that they [would] being unfairly targeted.”
Wednesday, Jun 7, 2017 · 10:09:43 PM +00:00
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Gabe Ortiz
One of the largest Latino civil rights organizations in the nation applauded AILA's move: “Mi Familia Vota (MFV) congratulates the Board of Governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) for its courageous decision to move the association’s 2018 annual conference from Texas, to another state due to the state’s new racial profiling law SB 4.”
In a letter released today, Democratic Sens. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada also added to the public pressure against state Republicans and their discriminatory measure, urging the popular SXSW festival to relocate:
“In America we believe that people should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin, but that is not what SB4 does,” wrote the Senators. “In its 31 years, SXSW has been a beacon of consistency, standing with artists and participants regarding equality, tolerance, and safety during events. SB4, however, would not allow SXSW to be a safe place for immigrants and Americans alike to visit, participate, and enjoy; the culture and safety of the event would be greatly diminished if your attendants are faced with the humiliation and harassment that this new law would inflict. Not only does this law stand against what SXSW stands for but also what we fundamentally stand for as a nation that believes in basic dignity and respect for all.”
Texas Civil Rights Project, one of the plaintiffs from the first lawsuit filed against Senate Bill 4, applauded AILA’s decision: