(Updated) Editorial: San Marcos City Council “Cowardice by Consensus”

On Tuesday, the San Marcos City Council released a statement of inaction in regard to the lawsuit against the State of Texas over SB 4.

On Tuesday, representatives of the Mano Amiga SMTX were present in the city council chambers when the San Marcos City Council gave their official statement regarding Senate Bill 4. 

The following is a statement from the organization in response to the decision made by city council.

By, Mano Amiga Representatives

We’re extremely disappointed but not surprised by Council’s decision; if the racial composition of Council reflected the racial composition of our City, the result would have been different. Through their united cowardice, a better case has never been made for single-member districts in San Marcos.

Council prioritized discussion of “dining with dogs” over the three-month-long plea, from diverse community organizations & dozens of local businesses, to protect San Marcos families who face a grave threat due to this unprecedentedly racist law; of course, Council voted this way.

Council insists they will now educate the immigrant community, but it’s Council that needs the education.

They used lies & distortion to justify their spineless decision, insultingly employing thoroughly disproven arguments & a spectacularly rare legal interpretation that, would you believe it, enable them to sit on the sidelines while Texas cities all around us rise to this moral crisis by taking a stand for immigrants & people of color in their communities. Not here. Not in San Marcos.

Council tells us, by consensus, to just trust the police — yet police chiefs & sheriffs across the state have steadily urged Texans to reject SB 4.

Council tells us, by consensus, to just learn to feel safe reporting crimes to the police, when that same sheriff’s office turns over ALL undocumented immigrants to ICE when requested, even for simple traffic infractions.

Council tell us, by consensus, they fear personal repercussions for themselves — absurd claims of jail time & fines & removal from office for speaking out on SB 4, even before Sept. 1 — in a manner that was glaringly disproportionate to realistic repercussions for countless San Marcans, who may soon be sent to detention centers or see their families ripped apart.

Their statement is utterly meaningless: “SB 4 ‘may’ this, SB 4 ‘may’ that” — in a degradingly empty expression of “concern” that doesn’t say a damn thing.

Mano Amiga will continue to work to educate & protect the community — even in the absence of competent leadership in City Hall.

Mano Amiga SMTX is a local activist group that provides educational resources for immigrants in the San Marcos community. For a full look into Senate Bil 4 and the issues posed by plaintiffs and citizens, read Will The San Marcos City Council Take An Official Stand On SB4 Tonight? If So, What Will It Mean For You?