The American Civil Liberties Union has issued a travel advisory for Texas just days after Governor Greg Abbott signed SB 4 into law.
Officials with the ACLU are advising anyone traveling to Texas to anticipate the possible violations of their constitutional rights when stopped by law enforcement.
The alert comes after SB 4 passed into law Sunday. The law allows police to ask about the immigration status of anyone they legally stop. When the law takes effect in September police will be required to hold people for U.S. Immigration and ICE.
“The ACLU’s goal is to protect all Texans and all people traveling through Texas, regardless of their immigration status, from illegal harassment by law enforcement,” said Lorella Praeli, ACLU director of immigration policy and campaigns. “Texas is a state with deep Mexican roots and home to immigrants from all walks of life. Many of us fit the racial profile that the police in Texas will use to enforce Trump’s draconian deportation force.”
The ACLU says the travel advisory is being issued now in case officers begin to enforce the law before it takes effect on September 1, 2017.
