Latinos air concerns about SB 4 to sheriff, police chief at forum
Those who have legal status and proper ID worry they could be racially profiled. And those without documentation fear they could be deported after an officer discovers they’re driving without a license.
Their concerns poured out in the form of questions Tuesday evening at a town hall meeting with Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez and interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, who explained how their officers will comply with Senate Bill 4, the controversial law that allows police to inquire about a person’s immigration status during routine traffic stops.
About 70 people streamed into the cafeteria of Dobie Middle School, many of them parents with young children, for the Spanish-language forum hosted by Univision’s Austin affiliate and cosponsored by Catholic Charities of Central Texas, a faithbased organization that has been opposed to the “sanctuary cities” ban known as SB 4.
Manley and Hernandez spoke for an hour about how their policies had been updated in preparation for SB 4. For example, officers are now required to file a report any time they inquire about a person’s immigration status. Then the floor was opened to questions from the audience.
A common concern centered around what types of identification would be permissible during a traffic stop or police interaction. Several asked if presenting their “matrícula consular,” or Mexican ID card, would satisfy identification requirements.
“We would potentially accept (a Mexican ID) as a form of identification if we could validate that,” Manley said. “But if you were driving, it would have to be a valid Texas driver’s license.”