University of Houston Profs Protest Campus Cops Becoming Anti-Immigrant Enforcers
February 27, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
Professors Against SB4 rally in Houston, February 22.
Photo: Twitter/@ASchneider_HPM
On February 22, professors at the University of Houston Downtown campus took to the streets for a Professors Against SB4 rally. SB4 is a bill in the Texas legislature aimed against sanctuary cities, which do not cooperate with federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) in their hunting down of undocumented immigrants. If SB4 is passed, city governments and law enforcement agencies will be forced to comply with ICE, under threat of being found in violation of the law and having state funds withheld. SB4 would also allow criminal charges to be brought against city/county officials who do not comply with immigration laws and who would face removal from their office if convicted. The law has already passed the Texas Senate and is headed for the House.
Tony Diaz, professor at Lone Star College, said Professors Against SB4 was formed “because we want our students to know that we stand with them, regardless of their immigration status. My top priority is making sure our children receive a good education and can go on to be productive community members.”
Alan Hall, president of American Federation of Teachers at Lone Star College, said, “Just this week I had students express to me that they are considering pausing their pursuit of a degree out of fear of what might happen to them, and it breaks my heart. If this bill becomes law and we force our campus police to act as immigration enforcers, we will find ourselves in a situation where we can no longer guarantee a safe and secure learning environment for all our students. And I find that very concerning.”
Diaz said, “I’m not going to make any exaggeration here, Texas SB4 would turn campus police into immigration officials.”
Volunteers Needed... for revcom.us and Revolution
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.