El Paso District Attorney speaks about implementation of SB4

Update: El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks said during the news conference that if the federal appeals court upholds Senate Bill 4, it will be his duty as a law enforcement official to enforce the law.

DA Hicks said his instruction to law enforcement was that in order to present a case to his office, law enforcement would have to witness the person entering Texas from Mexico.

“In El Paso in particular, a person could enter the state of New Mexico and from Mexico to New Mexico, and then enter Texas. They would not be in violation,” said Hicks.

With many civil rights groups worried that SB4 will lead to racial profiling, DA Bill Hicks said his office will guard civil liberties and individual rights.

“I want to emphasize that our office is very committed to making sure that no one’s civil liberties are violated and that no one's constitutional rights are violated. So if we see even the hint of that in a case, we will not prosecute, we will immediately reject those cases," said Hicks.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks is set to speak to members of the media at 3:30 p.m. to answer questions regarding the implementation of Senate Bill 4.

SB4 would allow local and state law enforcement to be able to arrest and detain anyone suspected of crossing the border into Texas illegally.