There is no doubt that Governor Greg Abbott's Senate Bill 4 (SB4) will by design, have a major impact on Hispanic communities throughout the state of Texas. Blasting News looked at various issues around the bill which includes the impact it will have on businesses. In the article, Dallas City Council member Lee Kleinman referred to some of the businesses that could boycott the law but there's also the matter of what the bill would do to law enforcement.
Kleinman also said that communities would make it harder for Police Departments to go after criminals.
This is because those undocumented people who feel they could be deported will not call the police when there is a crime being committed in their community.
Law enforcement will become threat to communities
One article by Blasting News that talked about SB4 provided details of the consequences for those who violate the law which means that law enforcement would be fined up to $25,000 a day. They would also face jail time and it includes cracking down on elected officials who would even be removed from their office.
One article by Foreign Policy Magazine titled, "Texas cities caught in the crossfire of sanctuary fight" refers to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins who said that undocumented immigrants do not live in vacuum.
He said that if a large part of the community were afraid to dial 911, send their children to school or even go to the local hospital then it makes everyone less safe.
The article also points to the Fort Worth police department who have spent two decades on community policing strategies so that they can engage more with the community.
Law enforcement vs. SB4
This means that despite people's immigration status, police departments don't want their officers to be seen as a threat but rather as a community resource. One officer even made it clear to Hispanic communities that they don't care about their legal status and that by reporting the crime, they can be part of solving those crimes.
He also said that they have "Citizens on Patrol" volunteers who serve as a neighborhood watch. That Officer, Daniel Segura, feels that they will no longer be able to reassure residents that they're their friends and not their enemies. He's also said that he would not do it if it goes against his character.
According to one report by the Washington Post titled, "Hispanics 'are going further into the shadows' amid chilling immigration debate, police say", reported that crime reporting has dropped rather significantly. It points to Houston for instance, saying that the reporting of rape and sexual assault had fallen to 43 percent within three months.
The Foreign Policy Magazine article also refers to another article by FiveThirtyEight titled, "Latinos in three cities are reporting fewer crimes since Trump took office," where it mentions Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles as areas where the reporting of crimes has decreased. These cities are currently fighting the law in the courts before it goes into effect in September.
