BEAUMONT, Texas — Immigration continues to make headlines across Texas and now the state is waiting for a decision from a federal appeals court regarding Senate Bill 4.
The controversial immigration law would allow Texas law enforcement to arrest people they believe entered the U.S. illegally.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and his opponent in the District 21 runoff race David Covey both shared their thoughts on the new law.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) also spoke out.
Phelan said this law is meant to pick up the slack of federal immigration laws that he says don't protect Texas borders. However leaders with LULAC say it leaves the door open for racial profiling and discrimination.
"I think it's going to result in racial profiling ,civil rights violations and a lot of lawsuits," said LULAC President Domingo Garcia.
Hispanic leaders like Garcia are concerned about how SB 4 will impact the Hispanic community.
"I can see tragic things happening when police officers try to enforce immigration laws they are not prepared for," Garcia said.
Phelan shared how he sees the law impacting Southeast Texas.
"I don't see probable cause here in Southeast Texas for a police officer to say someone crossed the border without seeing a video or evidence," Phelan said.
He says he's disappointed to see some agencies shrugging off enforcing this law.
"I wasn't singling out Fort Worth but they were the first one to say they were going to ignore the law. No you don't get the opportunity the legislature passes the laws and you enforce the laws," said Phelan.
His opponent Covey says Phelan does not support the controversial immigration law.
"Phelan ridiculed the bill when it was coming through the senate and said it was not good enough," Covey said.
"And to act like I don't support border security after I increased border security funding by 630% since I became speaker is just shameful," said Phelan.
Garcia says the organization plans to host town halls meetings across the State of Texas to make sure everyone impacted knows their rights.
The final outcome has yet to be decided in the federal appeals court.