--- title: ACLU: Travel Advisory Issued for Texas description: The American Civil Liberties Union issued a "travel alert" for anyone planning to go to Texas canonical: https://time.com/4773882/aclu-texas-travel-alert/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-10T17:31:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:01:50.334Z article:section: Politics og:title: The ACLU Issued a Warning for People Traveling to Texas og:description: This is a response to a new law allowing police to question immigration status og:url: https://time.com/4773882/aclu-texas-travel-alert/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta36a05ff9b9f5aa7/6988ccbe86f68e1d256e4a02/gettyimages-545545770.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: texas-travel-alert-aclu og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The ACLU Issued a Warning for People Traveling to Texas twitter:description: This is a response to a new law allowing police to question immigration status twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta36a05ff9b9f5aa7/6988ccbe86f68e1d256e4a02/gettyimages-545545770.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The ACLU Issued a Warning for People Traveling to Texas > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0f1a6542-0473-4bbe-b16f-0e4168ae2453&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Ban on So-Called 'Sanctuary Cities' [Watch (HLS stream): Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Ban on So-Called 'Sanctuary Cities'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kplt0pO5.m3u8) (0:44)  _Published 2017-05-08. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday night signed what he calls a ban on so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police to ask about a person's immigration status and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don't cooperate with federal authorities._ by [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra May 10, 2017 5:31 PM UTC by [Lisa Marie Segarra](https://time.com/author/lisa-marie-segarra/) ## Lisa Marie Segarra May 10, 2017 5:31 PM UTC The American Civil Liberties Union issued a [“travel alert”](https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-issues-texas-travel-advisory) on Tuesday for anyone planning to go to Texas. The recommendation comes as a response to a new law Gov. Gregg Abbott signed on Sunday, [SB4](http://time.com/4770164/texas-greg-abbott-sanctuary-cities-ban/?iid=sr-link2), which bans sanctuary cities and allows police to question a person’s immigration status during any kind of detention, including during a traffic stop. The law also requires law enforcement to [comply with federal detention requests](http://time.com/4766353/texas-legislature-sanctuary-cities-ban-immigration/?iid=sr-link1) for deportation. The ACLU said [in a release on its website](https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-issues-texas-travel-advisory) that the law can lead to “widespread racial profiling, baseless scrutiny and illegal arrests of citizens and non-citizens alike presumed to be ‘foreign’ based on how they look or sound.” The law is scheduled to take effect Sept. 1, but the ACLU said in a release they are worried law enforcement officers will begin asking about immigration status now. “We plan to fight this racist and wrongheaded law in the courts and in the streets,” said ACLU of Texas Executive Director Terri Burke in the release. “Until we defeat it, everyone traveling in or to Texas needs to be aware of what’s in store for them.” The police chiefs of six major Texas cities have opposed the law, [according to My San Antonio](http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Police-chiefs-unite-in-opposition-of-Texas-11107995.php), but Republican proponents said it was necessary to make sure local law enforcement follows federal demands. Sally Hernandez, the sheriff of Travis County, where Austin is located, previously said she would refuse to honor federal detention requests. However, she said she would comply with the state’s law. Twenty-two local ACLU affiliates, including the Texas branch, have also issued a travel alert for Texas, according to the organization’s release. In 2010, the ACLU issued a travel alert for Arizona when it passed [SB 1070](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1984432,00.html?iid=sr-link5), which required law enforcement to verify immigration status during stops. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Texas is now banned, Sanctuary cities and the Long Star State. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Now let's be clear. A reason why so many people come to America is because we are a nation of laws. And Texas is doing its part to keep it that way. May God bless you all. 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