The movement against Texas’ SB4 law continues to grow, undeterred by a highly contested U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for the law to take effect. SB4 allows Texas police to arrest and deport people they “suspect” are in Texas illegally.
Mexico calls the law a violation of human rights, saying it encourages separation of families and racism, and that they will not accept the deportees. The Border Network for Human Rights called SB4 “a clear usurpation of federal authority to enforce immigration laws” that will “drive the state of Texas into a human and civil rights disaster.”
Following the U.S. Supreme Court statement, the Eagle Pass Border Coalition (Eagle Pass sits on the border across from Piedras Negras, Mexico) sent the People’s Tribune this statement: “Our work is far from over. We will persist in our efforts to dismantle the militarization of our borders and strive for an immigration system that reflects our nation’s core values of fairness and humanity,” says Amerika Garcia Grewal of the Eagle Pass Border Coalition. Former State Representative Poncho Nevarez said, “It’s a tool of oppression and will end up being used to arrest, harass, silence, and intimidate people who are Hispanic and live in this country legally.” Jose Corpus, community organizer at Second To None, Inc., Eagle Pass, TX., said, “The state of Texas is pushing racist laws. Our economic strength is in our diversity.”
In January near Eagle Pass, a woman named Victerma and her children drowned crossing the Rio Grande. A few weeks later, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference at Eagle Pass to promote his anti-humanity agenda, which includes both SB4 and further militarizing the border. The Eagle Pass Border Coalition protested his visit, demanding that state money be spent helping their impoverished community rather than on militarizing the border. With aid, the group says, their community could also help the asylum seekers. The community also wants their park (Shelby Park), which is occupied by the Texas National Guard and now militarized, at the governor’s order, back. Guards even prevented the Border Patrol from going to the aid of migrants drowning in the river. It was near Shelby Park that Victerma and her children died, and some say the Guard’s interference with the Border Patrol contributed to their deaths.
“We see a future in which our Fronterizo community is no longer isolated or voiceless from state or federal decision-making affecting our home, where we have an active role in the evolution of our community and preservation of our culture,” said the Border Coalition.
