TEXAS, USA — Senate Bill 4, a Texas immigration law that allows state and local police the authority to arrest anyone suspected to have entered the country illegally, continues to be disputed in court.
This law has some Central Texans feeling uneasy about the unpredictability of the law's impact as some believe it could lead to an increase in racial profiling.
Daysi Barrera, a Hispanic business owner in Waco and a member of the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board, told 6 News that people are feeling scared.
Barrera has had dozens of conversations with customers about Senate Bill 4.
"People are scared to be here in Texas," Barrera said. "They don't know if they're going to be discriminated just because of the color they are."
The bill would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Mexico border.
"Those who supported the bill in the House and the Senate would argue that we have an unprecedented immigration crisis on the southern border," Pat Flavin, political science professor at Baylor University, said. "And that's having major effects on the quality of life on Texans and therefore, Texas should be able to do something in response by passing this law and by giving state law enforcement the ability to detain people who are here illegally."
Those against the bill argue it's unconstitutional.
"Why it's so newsworthy is that typically immigration enforcement is something that's solely the power of the federal government," Flavin added. "It really is an open question about whether a state like Texas can pass a law like this. And if it's, you know, allowed to stand, that means other states would likely consider doing the same thing."
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch is an immigration attorney and says the law racially profiles.
"Unless an officer sees someone crossing the border without status, how exactly would they suspect or have probable cause that someone is an immigrant," Lincoln-Goldfinch said. "The state level deportation machine orders state criminal court judges to issue deportations against people who may have legal status who may be in immigration court proceedings under the jurisdiction of a federal judge. These people who are deported by the state don't comply, they can get up to 20 years in prison."
Lincoln-Goldfinch calls the bill chaotic as well as harsh.
"No one logistically even knows how it would be implemented in the state," Lincoln-Goldfinch said. "It's a total nightmare. Honestly, not just for immigrants, but for all of us. We have a desperate need in this country for more immigrants. What we don't have is an immigration system that reflects the needs of our economy. So we have a need and we have jobs for immigrants, but we don't have a way for them to legally get here, and we've created this problem ourselves. So we need to stop pointing our fingers at the border and start putting them toward Washington D.C. and say Congress, 'go ahead and pass immigration reform that will solve this problem for all of us.'"
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to defend the law.
He says the Texas DPS has already made over 40,000 arrests and they will continue to use every tool and strategy they can to protect Texas.
"We will continue to build those border barriers, keep the buoys in the water, build the Texas border wall, doing everything we can to protect the sovereignty of the State of Texas," Abbott said.
As the battle goes back and forth, immigrants are panicking about what this means for the future.
"The law is not in effect, as we're speaking now," Lincoln-Goldfinch said. "That is something that could change at any minute, depending on what the Fifth Circuit does. That could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be in a few weeks."
Immigrant lawyers are urging clients to know their rights. You do not have to answer questions about your immigrant status to law enforcement.
Temple Police sent 6 News the following statement:
Because the Temple Police Department awaits the 5th Circuit Court’s decision of Senate Bill 4, it would be premature for us to speculate on how this law may impact the department’s procedures at this time. Senate Bill 4 could change in multiple manners, and we would need to review the final decision to be able to accurately provide details on how our agency will respond.
Multiple other police departments 6 News spoke with say they are not going to issue any statement unless the bill is cleared by the courts.
More on Senate Bill 4: