Matt Rinaldis Call to ICE Will Likely Be Used Against SB 4 in Lawsuit

The Republican lawmaker’s call to ICE will “almost assuredly” be used to show ‘discriminatory intent,’ an attorney said.

A Texas lawmaker’s decision to report protesters to immigration police Monday could come back to haunt the state when it defends the law in court, an attorney involved in the case said Thursday.

On Monday, Representative Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after hundreds of mostly Latino activists filled the House gallery to protest Senate Bill 4, the controversial ‘sanctuary cities’ ban.

Jose Garza, an attorney representing El Paso County in its suit against SB 4, told the Observer that the incident will “almost assuredly” be used to help establish in court that the Texas Legislature passed the law with “discriminatory intent.”

“This was a peaceful protest and many were citizens,” Garza said, “and Rinaldi sicced ICE on them because they were brown.”

https://www.texasobserver.org/attorney-rinaldi-call-ice-will-used-sb-4-lawsuit/