Local groups denounce sanctuary cities ban

Pro-immigrant coalition rallies in front of San Fernando Cathedral

SAN ANTONIO – Members of religious, legal and community groups denounced the sanctuary cities ban during a rally Thursday in downtown San Antonio.

The pro-immigration coalition gathered in front of San Fernando Cathedral to raise their collective voices about a bill that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law, which goes into effect Sept. 1.

Coalition members call the ban, which allows police officers to ask anyone they detain or arrest about their immigration status, racist and immoral.

Barbie Hurtado, a RAICES community organizer who entered the U.S. illegally but is now a legal citizen, recalled what it was like to fear police.

"We shouldn't let our fear freeze us. We should let that fear turn into energy and passion to fight for our rights and for ourselves," she said.

Many people at the rally said they lived through the civil rights era when discrimination was rampant. They said they fear that those days are coming back based on what they perceive as a charged political climate in Austin and Washington.

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About the Authors:

David Ibañez has been managing editor of KSAT.com since the website's launch in October 2000.

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.