HB20 is a dangerous and far reaching bill that would make Texas an unsafe community for all of us. This bill would allow vigilantes to racially profile, arrest, detain and persecute whomever they perceive as migrants, asylum seekers, or refugees, with no due process — and codify violence and xenophobia into law.
This radical, unconstitutional bill would give violent vigilantes a blank check to hunt down and track Black and Brown people with full immunity — and will inevitably establish a state-sanctioned death squad at our border in the name of “deterrence.”1
If passed, these vigilantes will be deputized, have broad discretion, and face no accountability for their actions. HB20 will only bring more racially motivated violence in already unprotected border communities, and it will not bring safety or protection to those seeking asylum on our border.
On top of the heightened policing, HB20 will also increase criminal penalties for asylees and refugees trying to exercise their legal and human right to seek asylum at the Texas-Mexico border.
Please tell Speaker of the House Rep. Dade Phelan (TX-21) and Chairman of the State Affairs Committee Rep.Todd Hunter (TX-32) to vote against HB20!
References:
- Ryan Devereaux, Texas GOP Wants Citizens to Stop Migrants, Critics Say It’s a “Vigilante Death Squads Policy.”, The Intercept, March 24, 2023.
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