Local activist group speaks out against immigration bill

Local activists gathered at the Price Center on March 1 to speak out against Senate Bill 4, which was signed into law on December 18, 2023.

Senate Bill 4 is currently stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled to temporarily stop the bill from going into effect following different lower court rulings.

The bill aimed to make illegally crossing the border a Class B misdemeanor with a punishment of up to six months in jail. Repeat offenders could be charged with a second-degree felony with a punishment of two to 20 years in prison.

According to the Texas Tribune, the law also requires state judges to order migrants returned to Mexico if they are convicted. Local law enforcement would be responsible for transporting migrants to the border. A judge could drop the charges if a migrant agrees to return to Mexico voluntarily.

“Governor Abbott’s border initiatives hurt our Brown and Black communities, our law enforcement resources and the entire state of Texas,” Hays County Commissioner Pct 2 Michelle Cohen said. “Kyle, which is within my precinct 2, has a high population of immigrants that need more resources, like medical care, not criminalization. These policies hurt communities. They hurt and break apart families. What has happened to compassion for people? I pray every day to never learn of another child drowning in the river or see another video of a 2-year-old wandering the desert, because right now, it is slowly breaking my soul. I will never support policies or laws that cause pain in my community or people. SB4 goes against all values as a county that cares for our immigrant neighbors.”

U.S. District Judge David Ezra previously issued a preliminary injunction stopping SB 4. Ezra said that one of the consequences this law could possibly have is that “it could inspire other states to pass their own immigration laws, creating an inconsistent patchwork of rules about immigration.” The state of Texas appealed the decision, which resulted in the Supreme Court taking up the case. Mano Amiga San Marcos, which works with “communities directly harmed by criminalization or immigration to push for systemic change at the local level,” said they would continue to fight the legislation as well.

Mano Amiga Immigrant Equity Director Nataly Avendano said all people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

“And this law will do just the opposite. It will further open the door for Texas officers to detain people solely because of their racial profiling,” Avendano said. “In the work we do, we have seen how these bills have members entering the jail to deportation pipeline for petty offenses such as traffic violations. We must continue showing up to show that our immigrant community is not alone. Instead of continuing to destroy families, the state should focus on investing in resources and things that benefit the community, such as improving schools, creating more programs for low-income families, giving them the opportunity to learn new skills and investing in affordable healthcare; this way we can actually create a safer community.”