ACLU files motion to halt ‘sanctuary cities’ law

Yesterday the American Civil Liberties Union took the next step in the fight against Texas’ Senate Bill 4, known as the “sanctuary cities” law. The ACLU, along with its Texas chapter, announced it filed a motion to block “the anti-immigrant and anti-law enforcement” law before it goes into effect this fall. The motion asks the federal district court in San Antonio to make a decision on whether or not the law is constitutional, as part of the larger effort by the Texas League of United Latin American Citizens, city of El Cenizo and others to halt a law they say will breed mistrust between immigrant communities and police. Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who provoked a swift response from state lawmakers earlier this year when she limited compliance with federal immigration detainers, has already said the county will enforce the new rules as soon as they are the law of the land. “Not only will SB 4 lead to wholesale racial profiling, it is so vaguely written that local officials and law enforcement agencies are essentially left to guess whether their policies and practices would violate the law,” said ACLU of Texas staff attorney Edgar Saldivar. “We’re proud to lead the charge on this important next step in the legal battle to keep this calamitous legislation from taking effect on September 1.”