Federal Court Strikes Down Virtually All of Texas’ Anti-Immigrant Senate Bill 4

SAN ANTONIO — A federal court has struck down virtually all of Texas’ Senate Bill 4, a law slated to take effect September 1 that would have forced local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration directives. The American Civil Liberties Union is among the groups challenging the law.

Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project who argued the case on behalf of El Cenizo and Mayor Raul Reyes, Texas LULAC, and Maverick County plaintiffs, including Sheriff Tom Schmerber, had this reaction:

“The court was right to strike down virtually all of this patently unconstitutional law. Senate Bill 4 would have led to rampant discrimination and made communities less safe. That’s why police chiefs and mayors themselves were among its harshest critics — they recognized it would harm, not help, their communities.”

Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas, had this reaction:

“The Texas legislature has a reliable history of ignoring the Constitution when writing law, and we’re thankful the court blocked SB4 before it could do irreparable damage to our communities. But we do not expect Gov. Abbott or Attorney General Ken Paxton to yield easily. This fight isn’t over yet, so we call upon law enforcement, local officials, and supporters who have fought so hard to stop this law not to let up until SB4 is well and truly dead.”

The ruling is at: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/city-el-cenizo-et-al-v-state-texas-et-al-order

More information is at: https://www.aclu.org/cases/city-el-cenizo-et-al-v-state-texas-et-al