Just when you thought Arizona had usurped Texas’ standing as the most xenophobic state in the nation, Texas has come back with a host of proposed new anti-immigrant legislation, including one that requires public schools to collect and maintain a “blacklist of undocumented students.” Because schools cannot oust children based on their residency status, the law is mostly toothless. However, it will likely ratchet up the climate of bigotry and intimidation in Texas and frighten some parents into pulling their kids from school.
For details on the plethora of racist, paranoid and proto-fascist laws being considered by the Texas legislature, visit DreamActivist.org. A summary of some of these bills follows:
- HB 17 (Riddle) Makes undocumented immigration an act of criminal trespassing, rather than an administrative offense and directs cops to “arrest without warrant a person who the officer has probable cause to believe” is an “illegal alien.
- SB1070 is a copycat.
- HB183 (Solomons) directs law enforcement to verify the “immigration status” of anyone arrested.
- HB 296 (Berman) During any detention or arrest, officers must make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of the detainee.
- HB16 (Riddle) requires voters to present photo identification in order to vote
- HB22(Riddle) Requires public schools to determine the citizenship and immigration status of students and to compile a database of students’ citizenship status.
- HB38(Berman) Constitutional amendment to establish English as the official language of Texas
- HB81(Flynn) Prohibits state agencies from using public money to print non-English documents or signs
- HB197(Solomons) Requires proof of citizenship to work in Texas.
- HB292(Berman) Denies birth certificates to children of undocumented parents.
- HB293 (Berman) Denies children of undocumented parents the right to receive state benefits.
