City of El Cenizo v. Texas (Western District of Texas, 2017)

At issue in this case is Texas’ SB4, which would effectively commandeer local law enforcement in Texas to act as immigration agents. ADL filed a brief urging the court to issue a preliminary injunction, arguing that if the law goes into effect it would irreparably harm trust between law enforcement and communities that has taken years to build. As the largest non-governmental trainer of police on issues of hate crimes and extremism, ADL knows well the importance of building trust between law enforcement and communities they serve. By forcing jurisdictions to turn local law enforcement into de facto immigration agents, the brief argues, SB4 threatens to create an underclass of people who cannot turn to police for help, undermines community policing efforts, and makes all of us less safe.