Officers of the Cleburne Police Department on Friday attempted to allay fears among the city’s immigrant community that a state law making it a crime to cross the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas will lead to racial profiling and other discriminatory practices.
“We want folks to know that we’re here to protect and serve, regardless of their citizenship status,” said Cleburne Police Chief Rob Severance. “We also want everybody to feel secure living in our community. Whatever laws and politics and whatever else aside, we are here to protect and serve.”
Severance spoke to the Star-Telegram at an informational meeting organized by immigrant legal assistance organization Proyecto Inmigrante in the city of 32,000 people about 30 miles south of Fort Worth.
Known as SB 4, the Texas state law makes it a misdemeanor to cross the international border without authorization and authorizes police officers to carry out immigration enforcement.
Immigrant advocates have decried the law as unconstitutional and warned that it will lead to racial profiling across the state. It is set to go into effect on Mar. 5, but two lawsuits filed by the U.S. Justice Department and the American Civil Liberty Union could block its enactment.