Liberal-leaning media outlets have all but ignored the negative impact of illegal immigration. And in their desperate attempt to distort reform efforts aimed at improving public safety, they’ve also misled the public. But the facts published by Texas’ own government make a compelling case for the reforms that passed in 2017.
On May 7, 2017, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), a bill that requires local law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities in order to enforce existing immigration laws.
Local officials who violate the newly enacted law may face criminal sanctions. And as a result of an amendment authored by State Rep. Matt Rinaldi (R-Irving), a member of the Texas Freedom Caucus, these officials may also be removed from public office.
Despite the rampant media spin, SB 4 did not grant any new powers to local law enforcement officers, nor did it sanction “racial profiling.” In fact, it explicitly prohibits profiling. But many so-called reporters don’t read legislation, they recklessly recirculate liberal talking points. In a letter mailed to his constituents, Rinaldi wrote:
“SB 4 contains safeguards to protect individuals from racial profiling and prohibits law enforcement from inquiring as to the immigration status of those who report a crime. Contrary to many misleading news reports, local law enforcement is also prohibited from stopping any individual merely because they suspect them of an immigration violation.”
After Abbott signed SB 4, public sector unions and other liberal groups bused in hundreds of protestors to the Texas Capitol to protest what they called a “racist” law. The protest quickly turned into a violent mob, resulting in the unlawful disruption of Texas House proceedings.
Rinaldi said he received threats by two Democrat lawmakers, who were seen on video shoving Rinaldi on the House floor. Rinaldi was escorted out of the House chamber and placed under DPS protection. Predictably, many in the media labeled Rinaldi as the aggressor, rather than the victim.
While mainstream media outlets continued to distort the bill’s provisions, they also refuse to report on the public safety risk posed by illegal immigrants who have committed other crimes while living in Texas.
Since 2011 – according to Texas’ Department of Public Safety (DPS) – there have been over 606,000 criminal offenses in Texas committed by 228,000 individuals with illegal status. Many of the crimes are violent in nature. Of the 606,000 crimes in total, 1,273 were murders, 72,203 were assaults, while 6,516 were sexual assaults. Rinaldi accurately described the positive public safety impact SB 4 could have:
“Of these 228,000 illegal immigrants, over 152,000 (66 percent) were identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as having illegal status at the time of their previous arrest. As a result, SB 4 should have a significant crime deterrent effect.”
The facts surrounding the negative impact of criminal aliens are overwhelming. Crimes committed by anyone – including illegal immigrants – put the safety of Texans and their families at risk.
While many in the dinosaur media have done their best to distort SB 4, the facts speak for themselves. Conservatives like Rinaldi should be commended for standing strong for the safety of all Texans, especially in the face of vicious attacks by Democrats and their media propagandists.
