Democrats urged to join fight against SB 4
Matt Simpson, policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, told members of the Central Texas Democratic Forum on Monday that Senate Bill 4, the so-called sanctuary cities bill, throws out policies created by sheriffs and police departments across the state about how and when to ask about immigration status.
“This is kind of a road map to racial profiling,” he said.
Simpson was one of three opponents of SB 4 who urged the group to donate its money and time to help fight the legislation and to help groups that assist undocumented immigrants. City Council Member Greg Casar and Austin Independent School District Trustee Paul Saldaña also talked about the problems their constituents are facing.
Simpson explained that SB 4, which has passed the Senate and is pending in the House State Affairs Committee, prohibits local police chiefs and sheriffs as well as campus police departments from prohibiting or discouraging their officers from inquiring about the immigration status of people they have stopped.
Cities and counties that are adjudged to be violating the law would lose state grant funding and also be subject to civil fines. Gov. Greg Abbott did not wait for passage of the bill before punishing Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez for deciding not to honor most Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests.
Read more: https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2017/02/democrats-urged-to-join-fight-against-sb-4/