Special Call to Action (#9): Deep in the Heart of Texas — Detained, Denied, and Dying

Photo credit:Steve Rainwater

We’ve all heard the Texas slogan, “Don’t Mess with Texas!” But the Lone Star State seems to have no problem messing with the lives of its most vulnerable constituents. Historically, Texas has (often brutally) led the way in regressive and oppressive policies, and been on the forefront of pushing nearly all marginalized groups — from immigrants and women to LGBTQIA folks and children — further into the periphery. Furthermore, as an outsized state with outsized electorate votes and an outsized national spotlight, Texas is setting dangerous precedents for other states to follow. Because resistance in Texas can carry important implications for the rest of the country, we need to strengthen the on-the-ground work of activists on the front lines. This call highlights the biggest threats against immigrants, women, and LGBTQIA+ Texans, and amplifies actions we can take now to protect Texas’ most vulnerable.

IMMIGRATION ISSUES

The ACLU recently issued a travel advisory — for Texas. And no wonder. Governor Abbott just signed SB4 into law, allowing police to question the immigration status of any person they deem “foreign.” Even before SB4, this type of racial profiling hit the Latinx community especially hard, and not just its undocumented members; over 800 US citizens have been detained by ICE, often for months or years.

Once detained, immigrants (or those suspected of being immigrants) face horrifying conditions. Medical attention is denied, drinking water is unsafe, labor is unpaid, and sexual abuse is rampant — even for children. Solitary confinement and unsanitary conditions are common, and Houston’s detention center has had more deaths than almost any other detention center in the nation. This horrific situation is likely to get even worse. A new bill, SB1018, calls for the indefinite detention of undocumented children by allowing “baby jails” to be licensed as day care facilities.

Here’s how you can support immigrants and fight back against what’s happening in the Lone Star State:

• Volunteer with RAICES Rapid Response Team. Volunteers spring into direct action in response to ICE raids and detentions. You can also serve as a community educator and advocate.
• Print, share, and display this infographic from the Immigrant Defense Project (also available in Spanish and a number of other languages) and familiarize yourself with the rights of those under threat of deportation. The IDP also has a poster to document a home raid (in English , Spanish, and other languages) and a booklet on immigration arrests that outlines legal rights (in English and Spanish).
• Read The Nation’s excellent list of practical, everyday actions you can take to fight back against Texas’ racist immigration law — whether you’re in Texas or not! Actions include spreading the word on social media using the hashtag #SB4isHate.
• Donate to Immigrants United, an Austin-based nonprofit that organizes protests, marches, and vigils to resist Texas’ racist laws, and works to educate and empower immigrant communities. Follow Immigrants United on Facebook, join their events, and donate via the Facebook link so they can continue fighting the good fight.

WOMEN’S HEALTH AND REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

Texas has long been notorious for its relentless efforts to strip away reproductive rights and body autonomy from women. Now, they’re upping their game. The state legislature just passed SB8 which, if signed into law by Governor Abbott, will take effect on September 1, 2017. This anti-abortion bill doesn’t just target women — it takes aim at ANYONE involved in the process of an “unlawful abortion.” This includes the doctor who performs the abortion, the person who drives a woman to a clinic, “the receptionist who booked the appointment and even the bank teller who cashed the check that paid for the procedure.” Every single one of them could potentially be charged with a state felony.

Adding to the horror, the Texas legislature has completely disregarded Roe v. Wade precedent. They are currently debating the Abolish Abortion Act, which would criminalize the act of having or carrying out an abortion — with no provisions for rape or incest. Further modification to the bill may also ban abortion even in the case of fetal anomaly not compatible with life.

But while Texas legislators strongly advocate for birth, they blatantly disregard the health of mothers. They struck down two bills aimed at improving health outcomes for pregnant women and new moms. Maternal mortality rates in Texas (women dying within a year of giving birth) nearly doubled between 2010 and 2014. As the majority of these women are Black, these numbers have a tragic — and disproportionate — impact on the Black community and families.

Resist the war against women and their reproductive health and autonomy by following these actions:

• Volunteer with NARAL-ProChoice Texas by taking part in direct actions at the Texas Capitol, participate in phone banking, block walking, and more.
• Volunteer with the North Texas Abortion Support Network. You can drive people to a clinic, support abortion doulas, provide housing and childcare to someone who must travel to secure an abortion, and more. Training through Cicada Collective, a queer and trans POC-led reproductive justice organization, is required.
• Volunteer with the Clinic Access Support Network (based in Houston) to be a clinic escort or otherwise support those seeking abortion in overcoming barriers to access.
• Donate to The Afiya Center, the only reproductive justice organization in North Texas that is founded and directed by Black women, with a mission to serve Black women and girls. The Afiya Center’s work includes creating the first Texas Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Policy Summit, advocating against anti-abortion laws, and participating in legislative sessions with Texas lawmakers to address maternal mortality and other health disparities that disproportionately affect Black women. Help The Afiya Center continue this essential work by donating here.
• Donate to the Texas Equal Access Fund, which helps to fund abortion for those who need the procedure but cannot afford it. You can set up a recurring monthly donation or a one-time donation.

LGBTQIA+ Rights

The Texas Legislature has declared war on the LGBTQIA+ community. This session alone, state representatives came up with no less than twenty-four bills that discriminate against and deny human rights to LGBTQIA+ Texans. Among the worst is HB 3859, which allows child welfare organizations to reject prospective gay foster and adoptive parents (along with unmarried and non-Christian applicants). HB 3859 also forbids the state from canceling contracts with agencies who subject LGBTQIA+ children to harmful “conversion therapy.” Instead of putting children first, Texas has chosen to deny them loving homes while condoning the abuse of LGBTQIA+ youth in state care.

But Texas legislators aren’t done yet. Following North Carolina’s lead, lawmakers have advanced a similar “bathroom bill” (SB6) which prohibits transgender people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity in any public space. The Texas House of Representatives also added a “bathroom bill” amendment to Senate Bill 2078 that discriminates against transgender children in public schools. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a bill allowing county clerks in Texas to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples on the basis of “conflicting religious beliefs.”

Texas is ground zero for the LGBTQIA+ community in America. Here’s how you can help:

• Participate in the Texas Equality March at the Texas Capitol on June 11, 2017. If you can’t get to Austin, search out (or plan) a local march! For a stretch goal, go to the national Equality March in Washington, DC!
• Watch this powerful video from GLAAD to hear trans students at the University of Texas at Austin explain the harmful and devastating effects of these proposed “bathroom bills.”
• Call Governor Abbott’s office at (512) 463–2000 to express your opposition to HB 3859, SB6 and SB 2078. Tell him to veto these discriminatory bills and put an end to all anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in Texas.
• Donate to Aquí Estamos, a youth-led, queer people of color nonprofit in South Texas. Their mission is to bring together LGBTQIA+ people of color and allies to fight oppression specific to the community in the region. Check out the work that Aquí Estamos is doing, including creating the first queer POC conference in the Rio Grande Valley, holding workshops on trans rights, as well as spearheading campaigns to stop the detainment, abuse, and deportations of LGBTQIA+ people of color. Follow Aquí Estamos on Facebook and support queer and trans people of color along the Texas-Mexico border by donating to this ground-breaking organization here.