03/19/2024
UPDATE: A few hours after the Supreme Court let SB 4 go into effect, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals put it back on hold while litigation continues. The law remains on hold.
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While we are outraged over this decision, we will continue to work with our partners to have SB 4 struck down. The horrific and clearly unconstitutional impacts of this law on communities in Texas is terrifying.
In his ruling last month, U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra ruled that arresting and deporting migrants seeking asylum would violate the Constitution, and placed the law on hold. But in spite of the clear and imminent harms of implementing SB 4, the Supreme Court allowed the Fifth Circuit’s stay to remain in effect, meaning that the law is no longer blocked by the courts and SB 4 is now in effect.
SB 4 empowers a broad array of so-called peace officers to arrest and detain anyone they suspect has crossed into Texas from Mexico without authorization, and empowers magistrate judges to order them deported. We are mindful that while SB 4’s constitutionality is litigated, arrests and deportations could begin.
SB 4 is an extension of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg Abbott’s unconstitutional and deadly law enforcement scheme that wastes vital state resources to target migrants for arrest, jail, and deportation. Created in March 2021 by Abbott and backed by nearly $5 BILLION of state funds, this operation is designed to criminalize and endanger border communities and migrants alike, many of whom are seeking safety in the United States.
We have developed a Texas Travel Advisory Map (link in bio) that also includes a “know your rights” section that is being distributed throughout Texas. This resource was developed to educate communities on their rights if they are stopped by law enforcement and the map displays the counties in Texas that have implemented policies and actions against immigrants, particularly under OLS and other anti-immigrant legislation. You can find more information on OLS at www.endlonestar.com
