Business, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Religious And Civil Rights Communities United Against Copycat Measures
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kirsten Bokenkamp, Senior Communications Strategist, ACLU Foundation of Texas
(713) 942-8146 x 109 or (832) 691-7013; [email protected]
HOUSTON – The ACLU of Texas Monday commended Texas lawmakers who recognize that discriminatory anti-immigrant laws modeled after a controversial Arizona measure are costly, divisive, and un-Texan.
“The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court today to uphold the discriminatory ‘show me your papers’ part of SB 1070, Arizona’s anti-immigrant law, shows just how out of touch the court is with reality,” said ACLU of Texas’ Executive Director Terri Burke. “When the Texas Legislature defeated a copycat proposal in 2011, they joined with a coalition of business, law enforcement, local government, religious and civil rights leaders because these bad proposals hurt state economies and reputations,” said Burke.
“The truth is ‘show me your papers’ laws, harm citizens and noncitizens alike,” said Krystal Gomez, Advocacy and Policy Counsel, in the ACLU of Texas Brownsville office. “It’s impossible to enforce these laws without racial profiling, as people will be targeted and detained based on how they look or sound.”
“Regardless of today’s Supreme Court decision, the tide has turned against laws like these. States are saying no to ‘show me your papers’ laws because they harm business, undermine police work and threaten basic American and Texas values,” added Burke.
The ruling means “that if, for whatever reason, your last name, color of your skin or your accent allows you to be perceived as ‘foreign’ you’re vulnerable to being stopped by law enforcement,” said ACLU National Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. “That’s not an America we want to live in.”
In response to the ruling, which was not unexpected, the national ACLU has amassed an $8.6 million war chest to mount an aggressive response against these laws. It will help underwrite continued litigation, lobbying efforts and public education programs to defeat similar measures. “The aim is to beat back laws that encourage racial profiling, undermine local law enforcement and sow a climate of fear that pits neighbor against neighbor,” said Romero.
“We’ve seen the corrosive effects that ‘show me your papers’ laws have on a community. Anti-immigrant laws are a stain on the fundamental freedoms the Constitution guarantees. Texas has already spoken: We will not follow the lead of those who would harm our economy and trample the rights of those who live in our great state,” added Burke, calling upon coalition partners in the business, law enforcement, local government, religious and civil rights communities to unite again to defeat attempts to pass such laws in Texas.
