As Latino and immigrant families gathered for Sunday dinner after mass yesterday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 4: racist, anti-immigrant legislation that puts a target squarely on the backs of nearly half the population in the state. In “an act of political cowardice designed to avoid mounting protests,” Abbott signed SB4 in private through a Facebook Live stream, and without a press conference or notice to media. Abbott and the bill’s backers have tried to pass it off solely as “anti-sanctuary cities” legislation, but it in fact does much more lasting damage than that, aiding Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda by promoting “racial profiling and discrimination against those who might be received to be immigrants—even if they are U.S. citizens, through the ‘show me your papers provision.’” From Dallas News:
The law will ban cities, counties and universities from prohibiting their local law enforcement officers from asking about immigration status and enforcing immigration law. It will create a criminal charge for police chiefs, county sheriffs and constables who violate the ban and will charge local jurisdictions up to $25,000 for each day they are in violation.
The law will also allow police officers to ask about a person’s immigration status during any legal detention, which could include a routine traffic stop. Opponents have likened the law to Arizona’s “papers, please” legislation, parts of which were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Abbott and Trump will be judged harshly by history for targeting for expulsion people who are deeply rooted in local communities and indispensable to the economy of Texas,” said immigrant rights leader and America’s Voice executive director Frank Sharry. “Should this law be fully implemented, it will brand Texas as a racist state whose Republican leadership is more interested in scoring political points with its nativist base than in building a Texas for all.”
Opponents included local law enforcement leaders and experts, who say that the bill will instead undermine community safety by breaking the fragile trust between immigrants and police. “We rely on all members of our community, regardless of race, religion, or national origin, to report crime,” wrote Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez in a recent op-ed against SB4. “We cannot drive crime victims and witnesses to crime into the shadows without undermining local public safety.” Already, police in the state have reported that the number of Latinos reporting rape is down nearly 43 percent from last year due to fear of deportation.
In addition to the legal challenges SB4 is sure to see, Texas stands to face fierce economic repercussions due to the racist law. In Arizona, the state lost nearly $500 million in lost revenue following Gov. Jan Brewer signing the infamous “show me your paper” bill into law in 2010. Major provisions of SB1070 were later found to be unconstitutional in the courts. Already, Latino civil rights organization MALDEF is calling SB4 “the most costly gubernatorial signature in" American history.
Protests in front of Abbott’s mansion have been ongoing since last night, with community members and organizers planning to “expose the pain in our communities and cement the legacy of Abbott, Dan Patrick and elected officials who voted for this law as racists for generations to come.” Some advocates are also noting that SB4 harkens back to California’s racist, anti-immigrant Prop. 187, which became the “turning point” in turning the state blue.
Said Julieta Garibay, an organizer with United We Dream: “I arrived to this country over 25 years ago with my courageous sister and mother to Austin. I have a message for Republicans, Governor Abbott, Dan Patrick and all elected officials who made the choice to go after me, my family and millions just like them: Texas is our home, we’re here to stay and we will remember who terrorized our families!”