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There is no democracy in Texas

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On July 19, a group of 15 teenage girls dressed in brightly colored gowns, like the young woman in this photo, stood in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin to participate in one of Latin American culture’s most cherished traditions: the quinceañera. But this quinceañera was more than simply a coming-of-age celebration. Instead, it was a public protest against one of the most viciously anti-immigrant pieces of legislation in Texas’ recent history: SB 4, the “sanctuary cities bill.” JOLT founder and executive director Cristina Tzintzú, explained to Portside, “For us, it’s not just this one day of action to celebrate our culture and community, to answer hate with love and pride. It’s also the launching of a long-term movement to build power for the Latino community, to win our community the respect and dignity that we deserve.”
IMAGE/JOLT TEXAS

 
Editor’s note: The People’s Tribune’s interviewed Manuel Torres of the South Texas Resistance Movement about the enactment of an undemocratic new law in the state of Texas to stop cities from giving sanctuary to undocumented immigrants.
People’s Tribune: Manuel, please tell us about the dangers of this new bill (SB 4).
Manuel Torres: The bill is against sanctuary cities. It is part of an executive order that President Trump enacted in his first 90 days in office. Texas will be the first state to implement a law that forces cities and towns to not become sanctuary cities. If people do lend support to undocumented immigrants, the law will cut them off from state and federal funds. Cops, politicians, elected officials will be fined and jailed and removed from office if they don’t follow the law. In colleges and universities, students can be asked about their immigration status. There is now no democracy in Texas. They can remove our elected officials. What kind of democracy is that? People say you must know your rights in case you are stopped, but with this new “show me your papers” law, there are no rights. If there is no democracy and no rights for some, it will eventually affect everyone. Anybody who “looks” Mexican can be stopped that fits the profile of being undocumented, and they can ask you for your papers. This is already happening.
The bill will go into affect September 1. Between now and then, a federal judge, Orlando Garcia, will for sure let SB 4 be implemented.
PT: What is the next step for the movement?
MT: The conditions are forcing people to start thinking. People start with fear. People start thinking. People start acting. For this movement to get into motion, we need to keep organizing within our communities. We need to reach the undocumented. We need to educate the country of the necessity of uniting as one. What the powerful want is for us to fight each other. Whether it is Charlottesville or Houston, whether we are native born or undocumented, we will not be fooled. We know what they are doing. The people who are barely making it are awakening and we have to educate and organize them to come out and say something. Under this law, you have no rights. But you have a right to stand up for your right to eat and your right to live.
 
Rally at the U.S. Courthouse in Detroit to stop the deportation of a father of two who has lived in Ann Arbor, MI, for 20 years.
PHOTO/DAYMONJHARTLEY.COM

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