Catholic Press Explores Parish ID Strategy in Dallas

[Excerpt below]

It has been a year since Texas passed SB4, a measure that requires police and county sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The measure also grants local law enforcement the right to question the immigration status of anyone they arrest….

Father Forge, leaders of the Dallas Area Interfaith and more than 1,000 others met with law enforcement officials from Dallas and neighboring communities Carrollton and Farmers Branch, last November to see what could be done to quell fears. The problem, according to law enforcement, comes when individuals pulled over for traffic violations cannot identify themselves.

“They want to know who they’re talking to,” Father Forge said of police. “Well, we already issue our volunteers with ID cards, so we jumped on that….”

Church in Texas Issues IDs to Help the Undocumented Navigate Police Encounters, America Magazine [pdf]

Why Some Parishes are Offering IDs to Undocumented Texas, Catholic News Agency

[pdf]

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