LUPE Celebrates Court Decision to Block SB4
SB4 is discriminatory and will lead to racial profiling
SAN JUAN, TX—La Union del Pueblo Entero is celebrating the ruling of a federal judge that temporarily blocks SB4, the Texas law that forces police agencies into the business of deportations. The court order blocks all the provisions that LUPE and other plaintiffs challenged: police questioning immigration status, mandatory ICE detainers in local jails, and restrictions on the free speech of local officials. As a result, these provisions of SB4 will not go into effect on September 1. In reaction to the ruling, LUPE executive director Juanita Valdez-Cox issued the following statement:
“Our members applaud the judge’s ruling that temporarily blocks SB4. Our communities reject the discrimination and hate peddled by President Trump and Governor Abbott. We joined the lawsuit against SB4 because we know that the law is discriminatory and cannot be implemented without racial profiling.
“The judge agreed with LUPE and other plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit that the constitutional issues we raised have merit. Allowing the law to go into effect before those issues are considered and decided in court would be unfair and detrimental to our communities.
“The law will not go into effect on September 1, but the fight is not over yet. There is no doubt the State of Texas will appeal the ruling, and we will take this case as far as necessary to strike down the law. For now, today’s ruling allows us to focus on pushing good policies at the local level that get police out of deportations and build trust between communities and law enforcement.”
Join community organizations at a press conference Thursday, August 31, at 10 am to discuss the ruling. The press conference will take place at LUPE’s San Juan office, located at the corner of Cesar Chavez road and Business Highway 83, San Juan, Texas.
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LUPE is a nonprofit organization that helps the community organize for a better quality of life. LUPE was founded in 1989 by farmworker and civil rights leader Cesar E. Chavez. We are a membership-based organization and our strength is found in the participation of our over eight thousand members. LUPE is a member organization of the RGV Equal Voice Network.
Learn more about LUPE online at www.lupenet.org