In August of 2017, my curiosity got the best part of me after Texas Senate Bill 4 (or Texas SB 4), a bill that effectively bans sanctuary cities in Texas. Filed on November 15, 2016, and discussed during the regular session of the eighty-fifth Texas Legislature, Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law on May 7, 2017.

Upon appeal, the 5th circuit court of appeals unblocked most of the law, allowing SB 4 to go into effect.

The sun had peeked out of the horizon long enough to have its brilliant rays beat down on my car with precision reliable to put my air conditioner on full blast on my way to a church, off Kings Row in Denton, Texas.

The temperature was north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the thermometer in the car clocked it to be 102, that Sunday afternoon.

It was 2 p.m., the doors to the church had opened for the 2.30 p.m. service. The congregation, predominantly Spanish speaking, started trickling in a space that could hold a little over 200 worshipers.

Earlier, there was a service at the same location for a different denomination.

Mission Templo Bethel AD headed by Sofia Piaz shares the facility. I secured a seat next to Armando, who, without asking, kept me abreast of the service with his translation in English. “I do not speak English well, but I will try my best to explain what is said to you,” he assured me.

With efforts by the Trump administration beefed up to enforce immigration laws to rid the country of undocumented immigrants, Texas passed SB 4 banning Sanctuary cities.

The law asks that other law enforcement authorities check persons they encounter deemed foreign to verify their immigration status. If there was any apprehension about my conspicuous presence, it was not out of place but well-founded.

Armando had to ease himself, so he headed to the restroom. Sofia, the pastor, occupied the spot he vacated and continued interpreting the sermon. I then asked her what she felt about the new immigration enforcement.

“We have been passing on the necessary information to help our group. I had the chief of Denton police come here one afternoon to talk to my team. The enforcement does not start till September,” she said.

“The chief promised to enforce the law, but his officers will not be out there chasing or profiling just anyone,” she went on.

It is now illegal for any city or organization such as churches, traditional places known to the public for rendering help to immigrants, to harbor anyone without proper residential papers. The law requires local governing bodies, sheriffs, and campus police to help identify undocumented immigrants.

Children as young as 12 are sometimes afraid to leave home for school for fear that upon their return, one or both of their parents would have been apprehended by immigration authorities. Door knocks are unanswered while curtains and blinds are all pulled down in some homes.

There was no cause for optimism as the church was half empty, perhaps a testament to the fact that those without the required identification dare not venture outside of their homes even to go to church.

Walking out of courtrooms in other cities, immigration and custom enforcement officials have emerged from hallway benches, rushed towards suspects and effected arrests.

Could this be the reason why Sofia’s church was not at its capacity that afternoon? I put this question to her, to which she said, she is doing her best to make sure her congregation understands the law.

Denton is about three dozen miles from Dallas, but like many others, because Texas shares a border with Mexico, Hispanics form about 19 percent of its population.

The service was excellent with mostly singing, accompanied by a band, interrupted when it was time for the guest pastor from Florida, the reverend Ector Cortez, to preach. The sermon was on how Moses led the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea.

Most police departments across the country have expressed the need to stay away from immigration law enforcement not to ruin any trust between the community and them in their bid to investigate and solve crimes.

PS: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/america-nation-of-immigrants

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