ICYMI: Mass Protest Planned At Texas Capitol In Wake Of 'Sanctuary Cities' Ban

AUSTIN, TX — Protesters decrying the passage of Senate Bill 4—a legislative measure designed to ban so-called "sanctuary cities" in Texas—have scheduled a mass protest Monday on the Capitol grounds on Monday to air their opposition.

The May 1 action is organized by the ICE Out of Austin campaign, Austin Sanctuary Network, and Grassroots Leadership, officials said on Friday. Immigrant community members, faith leaders and elected officials will all be in attendance at the gathering.

Gov. Greg Abbott made banning what he perceives as "sanctuary cities" a top priority of his administration. The term derives from jurisdictions that don't honor all detainer requests from federal Immigration Customs and Enforcement officials designed to compel local law enforcement officials to hold residents suspected of being in the country illegally.

Many law enforcement officials, including Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, prefer a more nuanced approach to immigration enforcement by focusing on felons rather than residents without criminal histories.

Abbott wouldn't have it, and the sheriff earned his ire. In reaction, prior to the SB4 passage in the Texas House on Thursday, the governor stripped the county of $1.5 million in grants to county departments—community-oriented functions having nothing to do with law enforcement—as a punitive measure against the sheriff's stance.

Related stories:

Opponents Of Texas Senate Bill 4 Vow To Mount Legal Challenges After Its Passage

Scheduled Texas House SB4 Debate Punishing 'Sanctuary Cities' Already Yielding Mixed Reaction

Texas Governor Makes Good On Grants Cut-Off Threat To County Amid Immigration Feud With Sheriff

Then, this week, SB4 gained passage and now awaits his signature. The tough measure grants officers permission to inquire about motorists' legal status when making traffic stops. The bill also would ban local ordinances designed to prohibit officers from making such inquiries.

For good measure, the bill institutes punitive measures against law enforcement officials failing to follow directives to the letter: A Class A misdemeanor charge, punishable with a fine of up to $4,000 and a year in jail, or both. Campus police aren't immune, either according to the guidelines of the legislation.

Critics of the aggressive, Abbot-led pursuit have been puzzled by the measure's urgency, given longitudinal studies showing immigrants are exponentially less prone to committing crimes. Then there's Abbott's own family history, long married to a woman who is herself the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants.

But with SB4's passage, the order of the day is action rather then introspection or reflection on the motives behind the measure. The bill is no longer an abstraction or curious anachronism, but a throwback to the decreased tolerance of decades, nothing more than a "papers, please" move that would target Texas residents commensurate to their pigmentation, critics have charged.

"The bill "...makes it mandatory to comply with ICE detainer requests — even though courts have ruled them unconstitutional," Bob Libal, executive director of Grassroots Leadeship, wrote in an email, "and even threatens to criminally charge public officials who enact local immigration policies that voters want."

Republican lawmakers who voted for the measure were unmoved by testimony from those opposing it. One state representative tearfully spoke of having survived rape while noting the law would create fear among undocumented crime victims to report crimes for fear of having their status discovered.

Libal, like other SB4 critics, drew comparisons to Arizona where similar legislation has been passed to the detriment of marginalized populations.

"SB4, much like Arizona's infamous SB 1070, has the potential to devastate families and communities, create even more fear throughout our state, and blurs the line between local police and immigration agents," Libal wrote. "Community members and leaders will deliver a message to Governor Greg Abbott that he should veto this piece of legislation, and, that if it should become law, communities will resist the legislation through the courts and through protests in the streets."

The mass protest will take place at the south gates of the Capitol, beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, organizers said in an advisory.

>>> Photo courtesy of Workers Defense Project