AUSTIN, Texas — On the eve of a federal hearing on a controversial immigration bill, advocates dressed as Luchadores, or Mexican wrestlers, danced in front of the Texas Governor’s Mansion. They said they’re trying to send a message of love from all people in Texas to Gov. Greg Abbott.
“We are all here for a better Texas – some of us in Spanish, some of us in English; some born here, some migrated here, but we all love Texas,” said Luis Ordaz, an immigration advocate.
It’s a message they are trying to send before March 5 when Senate Bill 4 goes into effect. Texas lawmakers passed the controversial legislation last November during their fourth special session. Gov. Abbott applauded the legislation before signing it in December.
“The goal of Senate Bill 4 is to stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas,” Abbott said at the time.
SB 4 will allow state and local law enforcement to arrest and remove people suspected of coming into Texas illegally. Opponents of the bill say it’s unconstitutional because enforcing immigration law is a federal responsibility.
“As a result, we’re going to have 50 states with 50 different immigration systems, and potentially more scary, a standoff between different law enforcement agencies at the border,” said Luis Figueroa, chief of legislative affairs for Every Texan.
Supporters of the bill, like State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, say SB 4 is necessary because the federal government is not doing its job in securing the border. Bettencourt said in a statement:
"SB 4 is recognizing the obvious that the federal government has walked away from their responsibilities at the border. When you have 10,000 crossings a day, the federal government has definitely walked off the job of border security. Of course, Texas is ready for legal challenges. I think we owe it to not only ourselves, but quite frankly, the rest of the country to do what the federal government is refusing to do. The litigation on SB4 by Senator Perry will work its way through the courts and all the way to the Supreme Court, and then we will wait to see what the answer is."
The ACLU and the Department of Justice are suing the state to stop SB 4. Thursday’s hearing aims to temporarily stop it from going into effect until a final decision is made. That hearing will be at 9 a.m. at the U.S. Courthouse downtown.