San Marcos eyes challenge to SB 4

City to consider brief supporting suit against ‘sanctuary cities’ ban.

The San Marcos City Council will consider writing an amicus brief in opposition to Senate Bill 4, the ban on so-called sanctuary cities, during a special meeting called for Tuesday morning.

The meeting, at 8 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at 630 E. Hopkins St., comes after the council last week voted not to join the cities of Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio in their lawsuit against the law. The law mandates punishment for jurisdictions that do not fully cooperate with federal immigration officials.

Instead, the council issued a statement citing concerns about the law’s constitutionality and effect on the community.

Amicus briefs are legal documents filed in court by people or entities that are not parties to the case but have an interest in it.

Council Member Ed Mihalkanin said in a Facebook post that he had asked to hold the meeting at night so more people could attend but that Mayor John Thomaides

decided against it.

“I was and am concerned that such a time gives the impression of trying to sneak something past our fellow San Marcans,” Mihalkanin said in the post.

Thomaides could not be reached for comment.

Many community members and organizations that demonstrated before last week’s council meeting to urge the council to join the suit were vocal about their disappointment with the city’s choice not to do so.

Karen Muñoz, of Mano Amiga, a community group that provides educational resources for immigrants and one of the groups that demonstrated last week, said in a statement that the group sees Tuesday’s meeting as “the council’s second chance.”

“The unanimous rejection by Council on Tuesday was equal parts stunning and insulting, but Mano Amiga is willing to give Council one more chance to rectify the wrong they’ve done,” Muñoz said. “We’re proud of the community for showing up — and staying loud, even after Tuesday’s vote — and glad Council has taken notice.”

The group plans to protest again before Tuesday’s meeting at 7:30 a.m., wearing black clothes in tribute to League of United Latin American Citizens organizers and other civil rights protesters of the early 1970s.