Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick issued the following statement in the wake of Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to sign SB 4, the so-called “sanctuary cities’ bill:
“Gov. Abbott’s signing of SB 4 in the privacy of his office on a Sunday speaks volumes. If our Governor were truly proud of SB 4 – his ‘emergency’ item no less – he would have held a signing ceremony with the bill’s authors and sponsors. Instead, he chose without notice to go live on Facebook, where he had ‘sanctuary’ from the court of public opinion.”
“But that won’t work. We know Gov. Abbott supported similar legislation that passed in Arizona. As with that infamous law, we know SB 4 is bad for working people. SB 4 is a direct attack on Texas values and hard-working Texas families.”
“There’s a reason working people, police chiefs from across the state and advocates for comprehensive immigration reform came together to oppose making Texas a ‘Show me your papers’ state. By forcing law officers in our communities toward becoming an arm of the federal immigration apparatus, SB 4 will harm our economy, cost good jobs, create fear, attack constitutional rights, and lead to racial profiling.”
“Gov. Abbott sent a larger message that Texas is okay with discrimination against immigrant families on the streets across our state. That message is dangerous and is drawing national attention. SB 4 is bad for working people, bad for business, and bad for Texas.”