Statement from the National Caucus of State Legislators on Gov. Abbott Signing S.B.3 and S.B. 4

Washington, D.C. – National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislator’s (NHCSL) President Rep. Angela Romero (UT) and Executive Director Kenneth Romero issued the following statement regarding the signing by Texas Governor Greg Abbott of Senate Bills 3 and 4:

“Being Latino is not a crime. NHCSL condemns in the strongest terms Governor Abbott’s decision to sign S.B. 3 and S.B. 4 into law.

“S.B. 3’s singling out of a business and its clients for increased policing just because the business advertises in Spanish is a textbook violation of the rights to free speech, to assembly and to equal protection of the laws, and sets up almost certain violations of the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

“Laws like S.B. 4 do not benefit our national security. If anything, they’ll do the exact opposite. They are a gift to cartels and coyotes. And they are incredibly detrimental to community safety because they erode community trust in the police, put families at risk of detention based on racial profiling or arbitrary suspicions, and will stress and stretch the resources of local governments across the state. S.B. 4 is also unconstitutional because immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.

“Our Caucus, in support of the Texas’ Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), will work with the White House, Congress and other civil rights organizations to address this with the urgency it merits and to fight these laws that dehumanize all Latinos and asylum seekers, rip families apart, and assault communities by violating their basic human and civil rights.”

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The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 450 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.