Texas vs. Texas: The Senate That Won’t Stop
Dallas is a divided city. It was divided before President Trump was elected. It was divided before President Obama was elected. It was divided before President Kennedy was assassinated. Dallas is a divided city—that much is obvious.
Texas, as a whole, is less fractured. In the sweltering red heat of Republican dominance, only a few splotches of blue stand out. These blue dots are tiny points that come from cities like Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. With the overwhelming amount of red counties in Texas, it was unsurprising when Senate Bills 4 and 6 were passed in Texas over the summer.
Senate Bill 4 lines up perfectly with President Trump’s agenda to deport immigrants and shore up our borders. The bill authorizes local law enforcement to question the legal status of any person they stop or arrest. While this doesn’t seem especially drastic, the bill goes further. According to The Nation, the bill “requires that law enforcement officers become extensions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” adding that any officer who does not comply with the bill is subject to criminal penalties.
Essentially, local law enforcement officers can be deputized by the ICE to carry out orders, dramatically increasing the agency’s reach and power. This diminishes the police’s ability to protect cities, for immigration offenses now take precedence over other crimes. Critics of the bill call it the “Show-Me-Your-Papers” bill and describe it as being an important step in dismantling sanctuary cities. Senate Bill 4 is locally known as the “Sanctuary Cities Bill” because of its power to gut the protection sanctuary cities give to its residents.
Another bill to glide through Texas’s Senate is the Senate Bill 6, or “The Bathroom Bill.” Senate Bill 6 is a controversial bill that only allows citizens to use the bathroom for the gender that appears on their birth certificates. The bill has been targeted by many corners of Texas because it restricts transgendered citizens from entering the bathroom that they feel more comfortable using. Major businesses have spoken out, some calling the bill discriminatory and threatening to move their business outside of Texas, taking jobs and money with them. According to Fox News, debate surrounding the bill has already cost the state $66 million in convention business, and that figure could rise to roughly $1.4 billion if more sports, conventions and other events are canceled. Dallas and Texas companies, combined with national companies, are protesting the bill. Some of the companies publically protesting the bill are AT&T, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Texas Instruments, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook. Texas is known for its economic prowess and being good to businesses, so these major companies protesting the bill would ideally be a strong motivator to kill the bill.
Yet Governor Greg Abbott staunchly defends the bill, saying that Texas needs it to protect “the privacy of women and children.” Austin’s Police Chief had a very clear and evidence-backed retort for the Senate and Governor, making it clear that this bill is a solution for a problem that does not exist. There have been no incidents of men posing as women or transgender citizens entering a bathroom to commit a crime. It might seem obvious to some of us, but it turns out when people enter a restroom, they tend to prefer to, quite simply, go to the restroom.
Dallas, while flawed and divided, is a proud city. While Senate Bills 4 and 6 are creating quite a ruckus these days, I am proud of the actions Texas and Dallas citizens and businesses are taking against these discriminatory bills. Dallas is a sanctuary city, so with the support of the Dallas City Council, Mayor Mike Rawlings joined San Antonio in suing Texas over Senate Bill 4, citing the unconstitutionality of the bill. The suit was filed on June 1. Protestors will continue to voice their dissent, but only the future knows the outcome of Senate Bill 4. Senate Bill 6’s future hangs more in the air. A very similar bill was brought forward about a year ago, but died in the House after passing in the Senate. The bill passed through the Senate on July 25th, but has a tough road ahead. Regardless of the outcome, this Dallasite is proud of Dallas’s citizens, Mayor Rawlings, and the City Council for protecting the city I am proud to call home. ¡Viva Dallas!
Arno Goetz ‘20 studies in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. He can be reached at arnogoetz@wustl.edu.