Austin, Texas. – Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for a third special session of the 88th Texas Legislature to push even more cruel and inhumane anti-immigrant policies. This follows a 5-month regular session and two special sessions focused on forcing through anti-people policies, such as attacks on public education, worker protections, queer and trans rights and more.
Some of the introduced bills in this special session include SB 4, mandating a 10-year minimum sentencing for anyone that provides transportation to an undocumented immigrant; SB 11, giving Texas law enforcement power to act as immigration enforcement agents; HB 4, granting Texas officers the power to detain and deport immigrants; and HB 6 expanding Trump’s border wall.
This comes at a time where the Governor’s immigration policies are under national scrutiny with numerous headlines around his use of deadly razor-wire buoys and Texas law enforcement that have killed and harmed multiple migrants.
Juan Jose Martinez-Guevera, Texas Advocacy Manager of United We Dream, said:
“The sheer number of special sessions that Governor Greg Abbott has called to repeatedly attack the freedoms of Texans prove his ideas are as unpopular as they are cruel. We as Texans are not swayed by his racist fear-mongering and calls for division. Governor Abbott seeks to take away immigrants’ freedom to move, live, and thrive while we all know that Texas is big enough for us all. That is why the Texas Legislature must reject racist and anti-immigrant bills SB 4 and HB 4 today along with SB 11 and HB 6. These bills target immigrants and all Texans with mass incarceration, while distracting from the real issues we face: underfunded public schools, restricted access to healthcare and abortion, and environmental disasters due to climate change.”
