SB4 is back from its brief legal nap, and our favorite local lawmakers—State Rep. Carl Tepper and State Senator Charles Perry—couldn’t be happier. The law finally gives Lubbock police the power to arrest people for “illegal entry.” Because if there’s one thing we’re known for here in the Hub City, it’s our bustling international coastline and our direct, 300-mile-long bridge to Mexico.
Tepper says Texas is “carrying the burden” of immigration, which I assume refers to the heavy emotional toll of having to explain to the rest of the country why we keep electing people who spend their time writing redundant laws. Legal experts are already pointing out that “illegal entry” is already a federal crime, making this state law about as useful as a screen door on a submarine—or a “Coming Soon” sign for a business on 19th Street that never actually opens.
Even the Lubbock Police Department sounds like they’re stifling a yawn in their official statement. They politely pointed out that since we are nowhere near an actual border, establishing “probable cause” that someone just hopped a fence is going to be a little tricky. They’ve essentially told the state that unless a suspect is caught dripping wet with a “I Heart Juarez” souvenir towel in the middle of a dust storm, they’re just going to keep doing their actual jobs instead of playing Junior Border Agent.
The Sheriff’s Office is equally unimpressed, noting they’ve been cozy with ICE since 2016 anyway. So, after all the legislative posturing and grandstanding, we’ve successfully passed a law that LPD says is “practically limited” and the Sheriff says won’t change “day-to-day operations.” It’s a classic Lubbock win: a lot of noise, zero change, and everyone is still stuck in traffic on Slide Road.
If the “invasion” ever manages to bypass 320 miles of desert and the entire city of Midland just to get to a Rosa’s Cafe, I guess we’ll finally be ready.
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