SB 8 leaves taxpayers on the hook for costly local enforcement of federal laws
Austin, TX — Community groups and concerned residents across Texas are calling on legislators to reject Senate Bill 8 and its House companion, HB 5580. These controversial bills would force sheriffs in counties with populations of more than 100,000 to partner with ICE by entering into 287(g) agreements with the federal government. Smaller counties may voluntarily enter into agreements, and the bills create a grant program exclusively for those areas to offset the staggering costs. These agreements, which deputize local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration duties, are a historically harmful tactic known to criminalize communities, erode trust, and ultimately reduce public safety. Members of the Texans United for Justice coalition will be joined at the Capitol by people from around the state to testify against House Bill 5580, which will be heard in the House Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee on County & Regional Government today.
“Senate Bill 8 (House Bill 5580) are calculated efforts by Texas Republicans to double down on Trump’s mass deportation agenda—prioritizing political theater over the rights and safety of Texans,” said Carolina Canizales, Director of Texas Campaigns and Organizing at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “Now that Trump is back to pushing mass raids and deportations without due process, Texas leaders are racing to expand his agenda through laws like HB 5580. These bills will lead to racial profiling of our neighbors, drain millions in taxpayer dollars with no reimbursement, and tear apart families—including people with valid visas and even U.S. citizens. Instead of protecting Texans, these policies make our state an active player in a cruel and chaotic deportation scheme.”
“SB 8/HB 5580 is a reckless policy that turns local sheriffs into immigration agents, putting entire communities at risk,” said Rochelle Garza, President of the Texas Civil Rights Project. “This bill will directly impact more than 40 counties, making it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs. SB 8 will create fear instead of safety in our communities.”
“Our state faces incredible challenges. We're running out of water, trust in our electric grid has been eroded, and chronic underfunding is undercutting our public schools. Fixing the real issues facing Texans is the job of a state legislator - not unconstitutionally dabbling in immigration law and forcing law enforcement to do the job of the federal government," said Sarah Cruz, Border and Immigrant Rights Strategist with ACLU of Texas. "Sending the Attorney General to police our communities and make our local governments complicit in mass deportation weakens our state economy and drives crime victims and witnesses into the shadows - making us all less safe."
"Requiring local law enforcement officers in Texas to spend their time assisting ICE with immigration enforcement will directly contribute to family separation and family detention, both of which cause serious, long-term physical and psychological harm to children," said Trudy Taylor Smith, senior administrator of policy and advocacy at Children's Defense Fund-Texas. "More than one million U.S. citizen children in Texas live with an undocumented family member. Instead of using taxpayer dollars to separate these families or to put immigrant children and parents behind bars, our state should focus instead on investments that will truly improve public safety for all Texans, such as funding quality education, healthcare, and other public services."
“Instead of investing the state’s sizable budget surplus toward addressing real public safety concerns and other local needs, these harmful bills shift the financial burden of immigration enforcement onto local taxpayers,” said Annette Price, Executive Director at Grassroots Leadership. “Even for smaller counties, there’s no guarantee that the grant program will cover the full cost of the agreement–which is not reimbursed by the federal government, either. All of these costs add up.”
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