FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2023
PHOENIX – The Arizona Latino Caucus released the follow statement on the potential passage of SB4 in Texas, which is alarmingly similar to Arizona’s racist SB1070 immigration enforcement bill.
“Arizona knows all too well the heartbreaking pain a bill like Texas’ SB4 will bring to everyday people. Our state suffered for far too long under the racist hand of SB1070. There is nothing good – no cost savings, no humanitarian benefit - that will come of racially profiling individuals, ripping families apart and leaving U.S. citizen children orphans through deportation. It is gut wrenching to see time and again that Arizona has become a hub of policy warnings to other states, but we can confidently say that we hope our failures are turned into lessons.
Similar in almost every way to Arizona’s SB1070 and California’s Prop 187, SB4 would authorize local and state law enforcement officials to arrest migrants they suspect unlawfully crossed into Texas. It also allows judges the option to order some migrants to return to the country they illegally crossed from instead of pursuing prosecution. If migrants refused to comply with an order to return, they could be charged with a second-degree felony and face up to 20 years in prison.
This bill will undoubtably lead to widespread racial profiling and a circumvention of protections asylum seekers have under constitutional law and international obligations. Without proper training and backed by policy filled with xenophobic sentiment, officers will quickly be given authority to make decisions about a person’s immigration status.
Despite Arizona’s inability to shield our state from ripping families apart and attacking certain communities based entirely on their race, we urge the Texas Senate to learn from our mistakes and vote NO on SB4.”
Additionally, the organization Todos Somos Texas is currently caravaning from California to Texas, to protest the legislation. The group will stop in Arizona and hold a press conference with Latino Caucus members at 2:30 p.m. today on the House Lawn, 1700 W. Washington Street, in Phoenix.
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