The Texas House Committees on Corrections and County Affairs will hold a joint public hearing at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas from 10:30am to 4:00pm on Friday, February 1, 2007, on issues surrounding the role of criminal justice personnel in enforcing federal immigration law and the impact of "illegal immigration" on the criminal justice system in Texas. The purpose of the hearing is two-fold: The first is fact-finding, i.e. for legislators to determine how jails, prisons, and probation departments currently identify and process undocumented immigrants. The second purpose is for legislators to hear public input on these issues.
The ACLU is concerned about this hearing because even though the Constitution is clear that, with some exceptions, immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, some state and local officials and agencies are capitalizing on the current anti-immigrant public sentiment to expand their powers and deny due process to detained individuals. Because Latinos, including US citizens and legal residents, are being targeted, profiled, and harassed, our goal at this hearing is to advocate for the equal and fair treatment of ALL Texans.
Come make your voice heard. For more details, visit http://dallaspeacecenter.org/prehearing.
