SAN ANTONIO – With the controversial migrant arrest law on hold, many are worried about what it could mean for them if Senate Bill 4 goes into effect.
Edison, a migrant from Ecuador, said his journey to cross the U.S.-Mexico border was risky. With organized crime plaguing his home country, he said staying was even more dangerous.
“If I didn’t come, I would have been a dead man,” said Edison, who spoke to KSAT in Spanish.
Edison said the law enforcement he’s come in contact with treated him respectfully as he seeks asylum. But he worries SB 4 could change that.
“I think it’s a killer law,” said Edison.
Joseph Morales, who is Hispanic, worries about the possibility of being racially profiled.
“I think this is going to make things worse,” said Morales. “I think that we need unity. I think it’s going to divide a lot of people, and it’s going to make people uncomfortable.”
Lance Curtright, a San Antonio-based immigration attorney, said it’s a valid concern.
“I think it has the potential to be that way,” he said. “Absolutely. Because, well, who enters the country illegally? There’s going to be presumptions about that and presumptions to be made upon race, which is racial profiling.”
Curtright said his clients are fearful.
“Why are people so nervous about this law?” asked KSAT reporter Daniela Ibarra.
“This is a very scary law,” Curtright responded. “It’s going to dramatically change the way immigration law is enforced in the state of Texas.”
With the law going back and forth in the courts, Curtright said clients want to know what to do if they get caught up in it.
“Well, that depends, that they’re here — if subsequent to a lawful entry, they should have evidence of that,” said Curtright. “Otherwise, they should speak to their lawyer about that. And in any case, when you’re arrested, you always have the right to remain silent. And you should exercise those rights.”
Edison said some people think migrants are lazy, but he says most, like him, just want to find work.
“They denigrate us,” he said. “We don’t like it. It’s not just. It’s not correct.”