Immigrant rights groups are expected to promptly appeal a ruling upholding the 2017 Texas law banning 'sanctuary cities,' News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Nina Perales, the lead attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, says opponents are evaluating their options.
"This is not the end of the road for S.B. 4 (the technical name of the bill)," Perales said. “It will continue to be litigtated in Judge (Orlando) Garcia’s court and S.B. 4 may end up spawning additional lawsuits over how it is applied.”
Perales was referring mainly to the portion of the law that authorizes police officers to ‘question people who are detained about their immigration status.’ She was implying that, for example, police officers questioning Hispanics could result in ‘racial profiling’ lawsuits.
American Civil Liberties Union lead attorney Edgar Saldavar says blocking the law would make the entire population of the state less safe.
“The community will no longer trust coming to the police, coming to law enforcement, to report crimes.”
He says that will allow criminals free rein, because they will know that many witnesses will not report them to police, afraid that police will turn them over to immigration officials for deportation.
The groups say they are discussing the most effective action to take to block S.B. 4.