Hundreds of protesters in red T-shirts gathered at the Capitol on Monday to protest passage of Senate Bill 4, the "sanctuary cities" law. As they were chanting their opposition to the law, a state representative said he called federal immigration agents, leading to a scuffle between lawmakers.
Members of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus said state Rep. Matt Rinaldi threatened to shoot another lawmaker. In a statement, Rinaldi said he had been threatened and that the remark was made in self-defense.
Department of Public Safety officials eventually broke up the protest and cleared the gallery.
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SB 4, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month, bans sanctuary cities and allows police to ask about a person's immigration status during a routine detention.
The law is scheduled to go into effect Sept. 1, but not before it passes legal hurdles. Last week, the county of El Paso sued, asking a federal court to declare it unconstitutional. Austin City Council has also voted to sue over the law.
The City of Austin also asked a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, seeking to preemptively declare the law constitutional.
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