CONTACT: Madison Porras
madison@movesanantonio.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MOVE TEXAS CALLS FOR LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO BE DROPPED
San Antonio, TX — Tuesday, December 5, 2018 — Last Friday, the Texas Attorney General filed a frivolous lawsuit against the City of San Antonio, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, the San Antonio Police Department, and City Manager Sheryl Sculley concerning the 2017 incident of trafficked undocumented immigrants. MOVE Texas Action Fund opposes this lawsuit and supports the rights of Texas municipalities to protect our local community.
For young people by young people, MOVE Texas is fully committed to creating a safer, more inclusive Texas for a time when racism and xenophobia are heightened influences in our state’s policy making agenda.
Claiming that Chief McManus violated Senate Bill 4 (SB4), Texas’ racist “Show Me Your Papers” law, the Attorney General fundamentally does not understand the law’s application: The San Antonio Police Chief acted in accordance with the law, examined evidence, and made a decision to coordinate with local immigration rights nonprofits, relief organizations, and legal service providers so that the victims of this brutal experience could receive legal, psychological, and material care.
“No state official knows our community better than San Antonio Police Chief McManus,” said MOVE Texas Action Fund Executive Director H. Drew Galloway. “This political stunt by the Office of the Texas Attorney General is an attempt to inflame animosity against our immigrant classmates and neighbors before the 86th Texas Legislature, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit they will ultimately lose.”
In 2017, MOVE Texas Action Fund sued the State of Texas over Senate Bill 4. While we await a decision by the judiciary, we stand by Chief McManus’ professional judgement on how to best handle human trafficking cases at the local level.
Involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in these incidents is not a humane response. We remain dedicated to protecting and empowering young immigrants, young people of color, and undocumented people across Texas.
“Victims of human trafficking are not criminals. They are people caught in tragic circumstances who need our compassion, empathy, and solidarity, ” said MOVE Texas Action Fund Advocacy Manager Alex Birnel. “We must continue to create a shelter for those most vulnerable to systems of oppression.”
About MOVE Texas Action Fund
MOVE (Mobilize. Organize. Vote. Empower) Texas Action Fund is a grassroots, nonpartisan nonprofit organization building power in underrepresented youth communities through civic education, leadership development, and issue advocacy. For more information about our work, visit movetexas.org. MOVE Texas Action Fund is a member of SA Stands, a local coalition fighting for policies that embody the humanity, dignity, and respect all people deserve.