Top cops: SB4 is a ‘lose-lose’ for Texas

No one believes in the “rule of law” more than the Texas Police Chiefs Association and the Texas Major Cities Chiefs, which besides Houston include Austin, Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio. We work tirelessly to make our communities safer, within the confines of the U.S. Constitution, by arresting those who commit criminal actions that threaten our communities. We specifically target those individuals committing violent crimes and arrest anyone who threatens the safety of our communities, regardless of their immigration status.

Police chiefs across the state work extremely hard to develop law enforcement agencies that build and maintain trust, communication and stronger relationships with minority communities through community-based policing and outreach programs. So we know well that no good can come of Senate Bill 4, which the state House of Representatives, joining the state Senate, passed last week.

SB 4 requires local law enforcement to take a more active role in immigration enforcement; this will tear down what we’ve worked so hard to build up. Officers will start inquiring about the immigration status of every person they come in contact with, or worse, only inquire about the immigration status of individuals based on their appearance. This will lead to distrust of police, less cooperation from members of the community and will foster the belief that they cannot seek assistance from police for fear of being subjected to an immigration-status investigation. This is a lose-lose situation for everyone.

Distrust and fear of contacting or assisting the police has already become evident among legal immigrants. Legal immigrants are beginning to avoid contact with the police for fear that they themselves or undocumented family members or friends may become subject to immigration enforcement. Such a divide between the local police and immigrant groups will result in