Texas Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D) issued a statement regarding the heavily criticized Texas immigration bill SB 4.
The status of the bill’s legality has gone back and forth over the last few days. On Monday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito extended the preexisting ban on SB 4. However, the following day, the ban was lifted and the state was allowed to resume its proceedings. Later that same night, the federal appeals court halted the bill.
“This law does nothing to help our immigration system, our local law enforcement personnel, or Texans’ safety and wellbeing,” said Rep. Gonzalez.
“SB 4 will only lead to the racial profiling of Hispanic Texans and leave law enforcement unequipped and untrained to handle immigration cases. We saw this with Operation Lonestar, with the buoys on the Rio Grande River — let’s call it for what it is, another ham-fisted and dangerous stunt by Governor Greg Abbott that will ultimately cause more harm than good,” said the Texas lawmaker.
Gonzalez celebrated the appeals court’s attempts to fight SB 4. The congressman stated that the House should instead pass the bipartisan Senate immigration bill that they have let flounder.
“I applaud the decision by the Fifth Circuit Appeals Court to stay this destructive law while its legality is determined. The only way to move forward and deliver for South Texas is through bipartisan, federal legislation. House Republicans must pass the Senate’s Bipartisan Border Security Package which would add 1,500 CBP agents and officers, and over 100 immigration judges to reduce the asylum case backlog,” concluded Gonzalez.
The bill has been touted as harsh, inhumane and unconstitutional. SB 4 allows police officers to search those they deem to be illegally in the U.S. and arrest them. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has spent time addressing the questions about the bill’s constitutionality.
Critics and legal experts have challenged SB 4 for its potential to cause racial profiling. Some have questioned if the bill oversteps state powers, as some argue deportations are to be administered by the federal government.
