Elected leaders and pro-immigrant groups came together on the steps of San Antonio City Hall on March 14, 2018 and vowed to keep fighting the anti-immigrant law, SB 4 one day after judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld most of the Texas law. (scroll down to watch complete video of the 30-minute event)
District 4 Councilman Rey Saldaña, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against SB 4, said the fight is not over.
"This is not a fight against (Texas Gov.) Greg Abbott. This is not a fight against (Texas Lt. Gov.) Dan Patrick, this is not a fight against our state. This is a fight for our community," said Saldaña.
"The position of the city has never changed. We will always have our community's back," he said.
State Rep. Diego Bernal, who represented San Antonio in Austin in 2017 when the Legislature passed the measure, said the bill is not about so-called sanctuary cities, as it claims.
"This is absolutely 100 percent about fear,” said Bernal. “During the SB 4 debate we asked them to show mercy and exempt rape crisis centers from SB 4. And they said 'No.' We asked them to show mercy and exempt children from SB 4. And they said 'No.' Why? ...Because it is about making sure our community is as afraid as possible."
Others at the event included the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (read their statement here), which is litigating the case, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the Pro-Immigrant Coalition, the Texas Organizing Project, MOVE San Antonio, the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, District 1 Councilman Roberto C. Treviño, District 2 Councilman William “Cruz Shaw, and District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran.
For more articles explaining SB 4 go to our special section here.
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