Hundreds protest SB4 outside Dallas City Hall

Hundreds of people met outside Dallas City Hall Saturday afternoon to protest Senate Bill 4, the new Texas law that will ban so-called “Sanctuary Cities”.

Families say they want Governor Greg Abbott to know they are not criminals, but hard workers, and they plan to voice their opinion in the next state elections. The senate bill has not yet taken effect, and demonstrators say they're not admitting defeat.

Some say the new law opens the door for racial profiling and discrimination against the Hispanic community, allowing law enforcement to ask for proof of immigration status. Supporters of SB4 say the new law doesn't force law enforcement to do anything except follow immigration enforcement laws already in place. Still, those against SB4, like Accion America rally organizer Carlos Quintanilla, say the new law unfairly targets the Hispanic population.

“Our community is not a community of criminals, we're not delinquents, we're not drug dealers. Our community is hard working. They're entrepreneurial, they believe in America, they come to contribute.”

Some local law enforcement agencies have expressed concern about resources that would be needed to enforce this new law.  Attorney general Ken Paxton has already filed suit to ask a federal court to declare SB4 constitutional before anyone else can claim that it's not. The law officially takes effect, September 1st.