Last week, the Texas State House passed HB12. This bill is as bad (some say worse) than Arizona's sb1070 - racial profiling bill. The next step is for this heinous bill to go before the State Senate. The bill was proposed by state Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton. Proponents (politicians and their media supporters) of the bill say it is an anti "sanctuary cities" bill. They say it merely stops funding of any city/location that supports "sanctuary city policies."The reality is this bill promotes racial profiling. In a nutshell, the bill says:
1. ANYONE (police officer, school detention officer, employee, etc.)
2. ANYWHERE ("entity" = city, state, campus, etc)
3. May Inquire into the Immigration status of a person "lawfully detained" or arrested.
4. And NO ONE can prohibit ANYONE Employed by the Authority from doing this.
5. And if ANY ENTITY does attempt to prohibit these actions, then any state funding going to that entity will be DENIED for One Year.
6. CITIZEN's ARREST: Authorizes ANYONE to REPORT to the State Attorney General ANY ENTITY they "suspect" as not adhering to this Racial Profiling bill.
Perhaps the worst thing about the bill is its racial profiling aspects, EVEN IN School! This is how it will work:
1. A School Detention Officer leading a detention class, will be required to ask "Every Student They Suspect as being an Illeegal" for their Immigration status. If the students don't have their "papers" they may be sent to a Detention Center until their Citizenship status is identified.
2. A policeman pulls a car over for speeding. They spot a brown person in the backseat they suspect is "illeegal." If that brown person does NOT have their passport or birth certificate with them, they may be sent to a Dentention Center until their Citizenship status is identified.
3. You go pay a parking ticket at a local Munical Court and your invalid mother goes with you. As you are going through the metal detector entrance, the security guard asks your mother for her birth certificate or passport. If she doesn't have this identification with her, she may be sent to a Dentention Center until her Citizenship status is identified.
If the School, or local police department or municipality attempts to Prohibit their employees from doing these checks, IF THEY DO NOT DO THIS RACIAL PROFILING, then the Funding for that entity may be CUT for One Year!
This is a HEINOUS bill (HB12)! It did NOT pass easily. In the Texas State House, there were HOURS of contentious and emotional debate. Most of the State Reps that opposed HB12 were quick to announce that this heinous bill will lead to racial profiling and harassment of legal residents and citizens. State Rep Ana Hernandez Luna said, "I know this bill will push immigrants into the shadows and others will be afraid to go to the grocery store and buy groceries for their families."
El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles and other Texas law enforcement leaders have said the bill amounts to an unfinanced mandate that would leave counties saddled with the costs of housing undocumented immigrants in jails, providing officer training and fighting lawsuits that may arise. These officials said Texas Taxpayers are going to have to "foot the bill" for this unneccessary profiling. Wiles also said the bill also will tear down the trust that law enforcement currently has with communities and make people less willing to report crimes and lead to slower response times by law officers.
State Rep Joe Pickett(El Paso) summed up the Republican perspective when he said the bill is more than just combating illegal immigration. He said some lawmakers in the Texas Capitol (who he wouldn't name) have confided in him on the assumption that BECAUSE HE IS WHITE, he shares their views. Rep. Pickett said, "I've heard people talk about legislation like this, who look like me, who have last names that don't sound Hispanic. They believe that things like this are meant to keep Hispanics from taking over."
Gov. Rick Perry (the secessionist) said, however, that the passage of this racial profiling bill was an "emergency" item. The REALITY is, HB12 is just sb1070 (a pig) with make-up! It is time for All American Latinos to take a stand and say "We've Had Enough! NO MORE RACIAL PROFILING Bills!"
They don't want Hispanics to "take over."
ReplyDeleteTranslation: They don't want Hispancs to be equal citizens in this country the same rights as white people.
These bills are not aimed at illegal immigrants. They are aimed at US citizens of Hispanic descent who are eligible to vote. They want to run all Hispanics out of the state so that racist white conservatives will have unchallenged power.
It won't work. We survived these racist "settlers" in the 19th century, and we will survive them in the 21st century too.
VIDEO, Texas House Floor - HB 12: Representative Hernandez Luna Matter of Personal Privilege - May 10, 2011 - "I was an undocumented child", very moving and sad !
ReplyDeleteUploaded by texasimpact on May 10, 2011
Rep. Hernandez Luna tells her personal story about being an undocumented child in a matter of personal privilege on the House floor, May 10, 2011. For more updates from the legislative session, visit legetv.org.
House Floor - HB 12: Rep. Hernandez Luna Matter of Personal Privilege - May 10, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwq_F-B6_bs
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Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Based on what Rep. Pickett said, it is very clear there are those in TX State Congress that they don't want us to be EQUAL.
I hope Rep. Pickett reveals the names of these racist culprits so they may be held accountable for their words!
You are also right -- WE THE PEOPLE will Survive!
Hello Dee,
ReplyDeletePlease keep us updated on this bill. I am in Northeast but very concerned with civil rights issues regarding immigrants, Hispanics and all Americans and am having trouble keeping up with the status of this bill. Keep up the good work and keep us abreast of the situation down there!
Everywhere you go now you are losing your freedoms in some regard for the purpose of greater security. I don't see the difference between this new law and anything else genuine citizens are asked to do daily. It appears to me the only people who are against immigration laws fall into a couple of categories. Biased - They know someone or are themselves here illegally or where here illegally, but are now legal.
ReplyDeleteLiberal-Lack the education to understand how an economic ecosystem works
Confused - think there is no bad in the universe and everyone is inherently good. Want to know what's the big deal about these issues without actually caring, just want them to go away and get along.
Now, people who are in support of these laws are either haters - just hate the prospect of someone else getting something for free and taking advantage of the system or they are realists - people who understand the trillions of dollars lost by allowing illegals into the country and supporting them, those that understand you cannot help but adversely impact the job and economic growth of a country by allowing illegals and those who want above all else, everyone to be held accountable to the law.
The problem I have with this argument is while so much of the debated is impassioned, no one really wants to just bring up the facts like we are in a lasting recession where every job is critical and it's estimated that illegals have assumed 11 million skilled labor jobs (same amount of people unemployed), that the overcrowding in prisons would not be there if not for illegals, or that no economy can handle 22-30 million people living/working below the line, or that we are a nation of laws that even if you disagree with them, you break them, you go to jail... regardless if the law is repealed later... hence my issue... logic, if ruling the day says this is very simple and the only reason we are discussing it is because politicians are pandering. My human side says we should do all we can to help people come to this country and participate in the American dream...
Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, has said that the growth of the working-age population is a large factor in keeping the economy growing and that immigration can be used to grow that population.
ReplyDelete