House Bill 4, which an expert called a 'civil and human rights disaster,' could turn police into border enforcers—with new unchecked power.
As Texas continues to lead the nation in residents without health insurance, its public school system faces a financial crisis deepened by a right-wing drive for privatization, and its infrastructure is bent to breaking each season by new extremes of heat and cold, the state’s GOP-run Legislature has struck a blow for progress on a decidedly unrelated issue: usurping the federal government’s prerogative to set and enforce the nation’s immigration laws.
HB 4 creates new state crimes for improperly entering or reentering the United States. Comparable crimes exist under federal law and are enforced by the federal government—in fact, strict enforcement of these laws was the mechanism for—but a state doing so would shatter the legal status quo. Under HB 4, a migrant who braves the Rio Grande could be arrested by state troopers, sheriff’s deputies, or local police and face up to 6 months in jail or longer for repeat offenses.
Donatti also pointed to a portion of the bill that frees police from financial liability by requiring state and local governments to foot the bill for civil and criminal cases against officers over their enforcement of HB 4. “If your conscience doesn’t stop you from expelling this family, then perhaps the prospect of liability might. … This even takes away that shred of accountability or potential accountability,” he said.but does not explicitly prohibit doing so to an adult.
The measure’s deportation process may also be unworkable, Hines added, noting that Mexico could refuse to accept migrants who hail from other countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, Cameroon, or dozens of others from which refugees have fled.that the bill appears to be, at least in part, a sort of bait for the U.S. Supreme Court. Both. In that ruling, the justices largely struck down an Arizona bill that attempted broadly to deputize state and local police as immigration enforcement officers.
Spiller also rebuked claims the measure would lead to racial profiling. “This is not about race. This is about the safety and security of our country, and it’s about Texans taking matters into their own hands and protecting Texans,” he said.border scheme—in which the state has tried to use criminal trespassing charges as a means of rounding up migrants.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
March to Cincinnati City Hall honors civil rights legacy of Reverend ShuttlesworthIt's been 60 years since Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth led his march on Cincinnati.
Read more »
Civil rights trial of ex-officer linked to Breonna Taylor's death set to beginBrett Hankison is faces the federal charges after a state jury acquitted him in connection with the deadly 2020 raid on Taylor's home.
Read more »
Bayard Rustin: The man who transformed the civil rights movementIt was strategist Bayard Rustin – a pacifist and gay Black man – who organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I have a dream' speech. But Rustin's role in transforming the civil rights movement has been largely forgotten. 'Rustin,' a new film directed by George C.
Read more »
How Black socialite Mollie Moon raised millions to fund the civil rights movementHistorian Tanisha Ford tells the story of the Harlem activist credited with raising millions to build economic and racial equality in the U.S. Ford's new book is Our Secret Society.
Read more »
Texas Civil Rights Project Urges Galveston to Increase Polling LocationsThis week the Texas Civil Rights Project sent a letter to the Galveston County clerk’s office, requesting an increase in the number of polling locations open in the county. There are only 28 polling locations in operation, which stands below the legal requirement of having 41 polling locations. According to...
Read more »
How Black socialite Mollie Moon raised millions to fund the civil rights movementHistorian Tanisha Ford tells the story of the Harlem activist credited with raising millions to build economic and racial equality in the U.S. Ford's new book is Our Secret Society.
Read more »