Texas House Advances Anti-Immigrant Bills, Endangering Communities and Immigrants Alike

For Immediate Release: October 26, 2023

“These bills promote discrimination, undermine our civil and constitutional rights, and go against our values of welcoming. Texans deserve real solutions, and these bills aren’t that.”

EL PASO, TEXAS – Yesterday, the Texas House passed three bills, SB 4, HB 6, and HB 4, after hours of heated debate until early this morning. The State Senate will review HB 6 and HB 4, while Governor Abbott is expected to sign SB 4 into law.

Robert Heyman, Strategic Advisor at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, in El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and New Mexico, shared the following statement:

“As SB 4, HB 6, and HB 4 move forward in the Texas Legislature, we must remember these are unnecessary, wasteful measures based on a fundamental misunderstanding of immigration and border issues. HB 4, in particular, undermines and short-circuits the asylum process, harming vulnerable people in need. It eliminates due process, including fundamental rights prohibiting detention without an arrest and trial. It will shatter Texas’ communities.

“Bills like HB 4 and HB 6, rest on the idea that deterrence and locking up our neighbors are solutions. We must unite as a community against these anti-immigrant bills. These bills promote discrimination, undermine our civil and constitutional rights, and go against our values of welcoming. Texans deserve real solutions, and these bills aren’t that. 

“We call upon our leaders to take action and propose tangible solutions that benefit all Texans, regardless of immigration status. Our state is in need of responsible and effective policies that prioritize the well-being of our communities. It's time for our government to stop making the same failed choices of xenophobia and hatred and start addressing the issues that truly matter to us. We will not be silent until we see real change.”