HB 20 and HB 7, two new bills in the Texas House would establish a dangerous state and national precedent; legislation would further waste vital state resources

What: As state representatives hold a public hearing at the State Capitol on notable pro-vigilante, xenophobic, and anti-immigrant bills, HB 20 and HB 7, Texas border and immigrant advocates, community members, and civil rights organizations will hold a rally and press conference to denounce the attacks on border communities, immigrants, and the use of state resources to promote a white-supremacist, xenophobic agenda.

When: Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 9am CT

Where: North steps of Texas Capitol building

Who: Immigrants and border residents impacted by Governor Abbott’s border policies

** The press conference will be in English, but there will be speakers available to take questions in Spanish. / La rueda de prensa será en inglés, pero habrán portavoces disponibles para contestar preguntas en español. **

Austin, TX – Dozens of Texas community members, border and immigrant advocates, and civil rights organizations will come together in protest outside of the Texas Capitol building on Wednesday April 12 at 9am as the Texas House of Representatives considers two profoundly dangerous and anti-immigrant bills, HB 20 and HB 7.

HB 20 is a far-reaching bill that would establish and empower a separate unit within the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to recruit individuals not employed by the department and without any experience in law enforcement to roam the streets of Texas and arrest and detain any community member they perceive as a “migrant.” These vigilantes would be granted criminal and civil immunity against claims of wrongdoing. The bill would heighten the criminal penalties and up to a $10,000 fine against migrants.

HB 7 would institutionalize the system of criminalization under Operation Lone Star which has arrested and prosecuted on state charges more than 12,000 people seeking freedom and safety at the border. It would expand the current parallel court system where people arrested for so-called “border crimes,” including trespassing, are sent to privately operated processing centers where they are magistrated in trailers and jailed in TDCJ prisons rather than county jails.

Advocates and community members say they oppose these bills because they argue that they are an attempt by Governor Abbott and legislators to distract the public from real problems and the shameful misspending of Texans’ tax dollars under Operational Lone Star. In Texas, from the Gulf to the Panhandle and from our barrios to our ranches, community members know that if these bills are allowed to advance, they will become a license for roaming vigilantes motivated by racial animus to divide our communities and, worse, cause significant harm to people who are only seeking protection or a better life.