ACLU asks federal court to block state’s new immigration measure

The American Civil Liberties Union and its Texas chapter filed a motion Monday to block the state from implementing its new immigration enforcement measure, known as SB 4.

“Governor Abbott and his allies in the legislature enacted the harshest anti-immigration law in the country, ignoring the concerned voices of many Texans who stood in solidarity with our immigrant communities,” ACLU of Texas official attorney Edgar Sanchez said in a statement.

The ACLU’s motion — filed on behalf of plaintiffs Texas LULAC and Texas-Mexico border communities El Cenizo and Maverick County — asks the federal district court in San Antonio to fast-track a ruling on the constitutionality of Senate Bill 4, the state’s controversial measure known as the “sanctuary cities ban.”

“Under SB 4, local authorities will be unable to serve their constituents,” ACLU official Lee Gelernt said in a statement.

The border communities sued the state last month in a San Antonio federal court. On Monday, they asked U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, appointed by President Bill Clinton, to find that the law would be harmful, that the plaintiffs are likely to prove in later proceedings that it’s unconstitutional and to halt its implementation until the civil suit runs its course.

The lawsuit, similar to one San Antonio filed last week, alleges the law, which punishes local governments that prevent police from asking about papers and don’t honor immigration detainers from federal officials, is unconstitutional.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo is one of several big-city police chiefs in Texas who have come out against SB 4.

“Local officials won’t be able to keep Texans safe and will be forced to carry out harsh discriminatory policies that hurt their communities,” Gelernt said.