What Texas residents need to know about the controversial new anti-immigrant law
Texas' new anti-immigrant law could go into effect any day. What residents need to know about their rights.
- What to know about Texas’ anti-immigrant law.
- SB4 is temporarily on hold.
- Residents must prepare.
Civil rights organizations issued a call to migrants and residents of Texas to understand and defend their rights.
This comes after a Texas’ anti-immigrant law took effect on Tuesday, authorizing police to detain and expel those who enter irregularly from Mexico.
The warning comes just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the controversial law to take effect.
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Human rights groups are trying to block Texas’ anti-immigrant law
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Domingo García, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), encouraged residents of Texas to know their rights.
He urged people to report abuses related to the enforcement of Texas’ anti-immigrant law, according to EFE.
He explained that the organization will set up a toll-free hotline in the coming days to provide information to those affected and to receive complaints about abuses due to the measure.
The law, one of the most drastic in U.S. history, makes it a state crime for migrants to enter Texas irregularly.
Police can arrest anyone suspected of entering Texas irregularly
This can result in felony charges, with a potential sentence of up to 20 years for repeat offenders.
Furthermore, SB4 grants power to state courts to order the deportation of individuals without the need for legal process.
In addition, police officers will have the authority to arrest anyone they suspect has entered the country without documents.
They will have discretionary power to deport these individuals to Mexico instead of arresting them.
A message for Texas residents
Domingo García anticipates that the enforcement of SB4 will not only affect migrants.
«We have seen in the past how U.S. citizens and permanent residents are unjustly detained by these kinds of laws,» he said.
«In Texas, over 50% of residents are suspected of being illegally in this country,» he added.
The state has nearly 30 million residents.
A warning about Texas’ anti-immigrant law
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also issued a warning implications about Texas’ anti-immigrant law and what people’s rights are.
Among these are the right to remain silent and the right to be represented by a lawyer.
Furthermore, the ACLU emphasized that one should never provide a police officer with false documents or lie to authorities.
They clarified that this information does not constitute legal advice.
Texans’ civil rights are threatened
Adriana Piñón, legal director of ACLU Texas, warned about the threat that SB4 poses to civil rights.
She says the law endangers these fundamental rights.
Piñón stated, «S.B. 4 threatens our most basic civil and human rights as citizens and non-citizens alike…»
Piñón recommended that anyone threatened by the law, including those who fear racial discrimination, «remember their rights.»
Activists are fighting the law
Fernando García, director of the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), also weighed in.
He emphasized that for several months activists have been preparing hundreds of Texans to «resist the implementation» of SB4.
García highlighted the need for solidarity and community support for those who may face difficulties due to the enforcement of SB4.
His statement reflects the efforts of civil society to protect residents’ rights against policies deemed unjust.
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