Gun control

Very well said Sonia Flores. I absolutely agree with how you summed up this issue. I think that your stance is a realistic and great middle ground for those who are strongly for or against gun control. There has to be stronger regulations with as to who and how they are purchasing these weapons, and under no circumstances do I agree that the average citizen should own an atomic assault rifle. I believe that it is important to question the amendments in the constitution rather than just accepting them for what they are. As we discussed at the beginning of the semester, people truly do hold the constitution at the same pedestal as religious text. We are indeed an evolving society and we require such documents to change at the same rate we are.

Senate Bill 4

The Texas House has recently passed senate bill 4. A law that will eliminate sanctuary cities in the state of Texas. A sanctuary city is essentially a city in the United States that shelters illegal immigrants by limiting government effort to enforce immigrant laws. This means that local law enforcement will be able to question the immigration status of anybody that is legally detained, even if they are pulled over for a mere traffic violation. Previously, only federal agencies such as ICE had this authority. Consequently, this will lead to racial profiling against Hispanics. Racists police officers will look for any opportunity they can get to detain and question someone under “probable cause”. Furthermore, SB4 looks like it will come with hefty punishments for police chiefs and county sheriffs who refuse to comply with federal requests. Such as big fines or even having them serve jail time. 

    So what is to be expected after the bill is implemented? Of course, we will see a huge spike in the deportation of illegal immigrants. These are scary times for not only those who are undocumented but for students under the deferred action childhood arrivals. I can speak personally on how this will effect my life. I have been an undocumented immigrant for all my life up to last December. I was fortunate enough to be granted a work permit with legal status. However, the same cannot be said about my parents and now I am in danger of losing them due to this new law. It is very hard for a teenage college student to stay ahead without the support of their parents. Hard times are only to come for myself and many others who are in my position.