Texas Governor Gregg Abbot signed the SB-4 into law via Facebook live on May 7th 2017, and it’s said to take effect on September 01, 2017. The law takes away “sanctuary cities” by allowing Police Officers to ask people’s immigration status if they are lawfully detained. In its present form, police officials who do not believe in immigration will have ample reason to detain people of brown skin color and harass them. It will also prevent undocumented people to seek police help, thereby increasing crime. This law is being challenged in court.
Although the bill does say that it will be at the police officer’s discretion, it has the potential of discrimination and harassment of people based solely on their skin color. This will be especially true in the rural areas where the KKK still has cells.
The problem is that entering illegally is not a “crime”, but rather a civil violation. Thus allowing the Police question that status serves merely to make a segment of the population to go underground. We have all seen them, folks who drive rickety cars, slowly, seldom making eye contacts. Yet they clean our houses, mow our lawns, and construct our homes and offices. They provide valuable service. If Americans would do these jobs, we would not need them. And if undocumented people don’t have jobs, they would go back. But American citizens simply won’t do these jobs. As a society we reap the benefits and comfort that these people provide us, while hiding them in shadows and denying them access to safe living. And it will only serve to make Texas less safe.
The ACLU has already issued a travel ban to Texas. Texas had spent much of last eight years opposing anything the federal government proposed. Now it is all eager to help the federal government. And so:
The people at night
Are frightened and hide
Deep in the heart pf Texas
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