The American Civil Liberties Union is reacting to Governor Greg Abbott signing to so-called sanctuary city bill by issuing a travel warning to people thinking about heading to Texas.
“The ACLU’s goal is to protect all Texans and all people traveling through Texas - regardless of their immigration status - from illegal harassment by law enforcement,” said Lorella Praeli, ACLU director of immigration policy and campaigns.
When the law goes into effect September first, it gives a green light to police officers in the state to investigate a person’s immigration status during a routine traffic stop. The ACLU worries that will lead to racial profiling.
The move is the latest frustration for Texas tourism leaders, who are trying to combat what they feel are baseless accusations.
Cassandra Matej, who heads Visit San Antonio, says they've worked hard to create a welcoming image for the city, and this move by the ACLU is not helping.
"We're having an amazing year," she tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI. "We just had one of our busiest first quarters, January through March, and we want to continue that. That means jobs."
While some might brush off the ACLU warning as partisan politics, she's worried about a domino effect, where other civil rights groups jump aboard.
"Travel is big business. $13.6 billion worth of economic impact to our city, so anything that could impact that, is concerning to us."