June 26, 2017      9:20 PM

Federal judge in San Antonio hears initial arguments in SB 4 lawsuit

Judge Garcia gave no indication of when a ruling would come down

SAN ANTONIO – The highly anticipated initial hearing for the lawsuit between several cities and the state of Texas dragged on for hours Monday in the U.S. District Court in San Antonio. And while the inside of the courthouse was packed with local and state officials, attorneys and media, more than a hundred protesters stood outside in the rain to protest the law that has been widely criticized as a “show me your papers” crackdown on immigrants in communities large and small.

The hearing kicked off with attorneys for El Cenizo, El Paso, San Antonio, Travis County, and Houston – representing both local officials and the cities and counties themselves – arguing that SB 4 was, among other things, “blatantly unconstitutional,” inconsistent and dangerously vague.

Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union argued that although Texas was attempting to present SB 4 as a “modest law” that does very little, the harsh penalties for local officials contradict that. Gelernt argued SB 4 was an attempt to enforce federal immigration law in Texas to the maximum degree.

By Lyanne A. Guarecuco

Copyright June 26, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved