Background
Texas has long been the epicenter for immigration enforcement and racialized criminalization. With more than five million immigrants in Texas, immigrants, Black people, and communities of color have faced decades of criminalization, incarceration, and deep entanglement between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities – leading to the highest number of immigration arrests, deportations, and incarcerations in the country.
Texas is also home to the nation’s most regressive anti-immigrant laws and policies with Operation Lone Star (OLS) - a $11+ billion state enforcement operation that targets immigrants for detention and deportation, SB4 (2017) - the state’s anti-sanctuary law, SB4 (2023) - the state’s deportation law (currently not in effect because of litigation), and SB8 – the law mandating a majority of county sheriffs to enter into 287(g) agreements with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to enforce federal immigration law. We know these harmful laws and anti-immigration policies are the blueprint for the national mass deportation and anti-immigrant agenda we are currently witnessing across the country.
Our Strategy
The ILRC’s strategy in Texas is to challenge the anti-immigrant and mass incarceration agenda by winning local policies that mitigate harm, uphold constitutional protections, and prove that organized communities can be resilient. At the same time, we push to divest from oppressive systems and invest in redirecting resources to life-affirming public services such as health care, education, and local infrastructure. By grounding our work in organizing and coalition-building, we know our communities have the power to fight for the Texas we know we deserve even amid relentless state and federal persecution.
