By Pat Trevino
June 21, 2025

Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8 into law—a piece of legislation that mandates all sheriffs in Texas cooperate with ICE in immigration enforcement. State Representative HD 30  A.J. Louderback, known for his alignment with hardline immigration policies, is one of the bill’s most vocal supporters. At first glance, some may see this as a routine political decision. But for communities of color—especially Mexican Americans and Latinos—this moment demands our urgent attention.

Senate Bill 8 deepens the entanglement between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. That means sheriffs—no matter their stance—must now comply with ICE, detaining people suspected of immigration violations and handing them over, even without criminal charges. In practice, these types of laws have disproportionately impacted Latinos, even those who are U.S. citizens.

While laws like Senate Bill 8 don’t explicitly authorize racial profiling, critics argue that they create conditions where abuse of power becomes easier to hide. The concern is that if a law mandates cooperation with ICE and gives local law enforcement broad discretion in identifying “suspected” undocumented individuals, it can be exploited by those with biased or even extremist views.

The Brennan Center for Justice has documented how white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement is a real and ongoing threat. A 2006 FBI intelligence assessment warned of both “strategic infiltration by organized groups” and “self-initiated infiltration by law enforcement personnel sympathetic to white supremacist causes”. And a recent article highlighted how U.S. citizens—Latino men in particular—have been stopped, questioned, and even detained by Border Patrol agents based solely on appearance.

So while the law doesn’t say “you can stop someone because they look Latino,” the lack of clear guardrails and accountability mechanisms means that someone with racist intent could, in practice, do just that—and claim they were acting within the law.

And this is not happening in a vacuum. In recent years, watchdog groups and national civil rights organizations have documented cases of law enforcement officials with ties to white supremacist networks. While this doesn’t apply to all sheriffs, it’s a chilling reminder of why unchecked power and vague mandates can be dangerous when turned against vulnerable communities.

We must ask: Who benefits from these policies, and who pays the price?

Let this be a call to action for all Mexican Americans, Latinos, Black Texans, Indigenous communities, and allies: this is not just an immigration issue—it’s a civil rights issue. When law enforcement is compelled by the state to prioritize federal deportation efforts, our neighborhoods become less safe, not more.

Let’s not wait for tragedy to galvanize us. Be informed. Get involved. Hold your local officials accountable. Ask your sheriff where they stand. Demand transparency. Vote with the awareness that these policies affect real families—perhaps your own.

CORRECTION:  State Representative A.J. Louderback 6/23/25