title:  ACLU Issues Shocking Warning: It’s Not Safe To Travel In Texas
text: The Americal Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a shocking warning on Tuesday: Thanks to the xenophobia of Donald Trump and his Republican cronies, it is no longer safe to travel in the state of Texas.The travel alert warns that  anyone planning to travel to Texas in the near future [should] anticipate the possible violation of their constitutional rights when stopped by law enforcement. The alert comes amid the passing of a Texas law known as SB4. The law gives a green light to police officers in the state to investigate a person s immigration status during a routine traffic stop, leading 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 travel alert applies to all travelers to Texas, including U.S. travelers from other states and U.S. citizens. In addition, this alert applies to all encounters with federal, state, county law enforcement including local police and sheriffs.Constitutional rights no longer mean anything thanks to the hateful nature of Trump s administration. And Republicans, the very people who relentlessly scream about how important our  freedom  is, are ready to set a match to the Constitution as long as it gets rid of all those icky brown people. Even U.S. citizens aren t safe anymore. We plan to fight this racist and wrongheaded law in the courts and in the streets. Until we defeat it, everyone traveling in or to Texas needs to be aware of what s in store for them,  said Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas.  The Lone Star State will become a  show me your papers  state, where every interaction with law enforcement can become a citizenship interrogation and potentially an illegal arrest. It is simply a matter of time before illegal arrests occur. Local law enforcement will have to decide between violating a person s rights and being severely fined, thrown in jail, or even being removed from office for choosing not to do so,  Burke added.Lorella Praeli, the ACLU s director of immigration policy and campaigns said, Everyone has constitutional rights in this country. The state of Texas, and every law enforcement officer, must respect those rights. The ACLU stands ready to safeguard those freedoms against those who seek to diminish them. Featured image via John Moore/Getty Images