AP Photo/John Locher
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., speaks at a town hall meeting Tuesday, April 18, 2017, in Las Vegas.
Thursday, June 8, 2017 | 2:45 p.m.
Organizers of Austin-based South by Southwest, the popular entertainment and technology conference and festival, said in a statement Wednesday that they stand against Texas' new immigration law, SB4, but they have no plans to move the festivities in protest.
The officials were reacting to a letter earlier in the day from U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. The lawmakers asked the organizers to relocate the event out of Texas until the state immigration law is repealed or overturned.
The new law, set to take effect Sept. 1, allows local law enforcement officials to ask about a detained person's legal status. Activists have decried it as a law that will lead to racial profiling, and a lawsuit is filed against it, with the American Civil Liberties Union as a key plaintiff.
In their letter to SXSW CEO Roland Swenson, the senators highlighted potential risks for immigrant attendees of the festival under SB4 and asked that organizers use their platform to denounce the law.
"Not only does this law stand against what SXSW stands for but also what we fundamentally stand for as a nation that believes in basic dignity and respect for all," the letter reads.
Swenson responded to the senators' call by recommitting to keep the festival in Texas, but he also said the organization joins the city of Austin in formally opposing the law.
"We agree with the senators that the law stands diametrically opposed to the spirit of SXSW and respect their call to action. We understand why, in today's political climate, people are asking us to leave Texas," he wrote.
"For us this is not a solution. Austin is our home and an integral part of who we are. We will stay here and continue to make our event inclusive while fighting for the rights of all."
In a statement, Gov. Greg Abbott denounced the senators' letter to Swenson and reiterated his approval of the law he signed.
"The senators from New Jersey and Nevada would serve their constituents far better by taking care of business in Washington, D.C., rather than fearmongering about a law that keeps dangerous criminals off the street and that a majority of Texans support," Abbott wrote in an emailed statement.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who sued the state last week to prevent the bill from taking effect Sept. 1, said in a statement on his website he "must strongly oppose the proposed any means of protest that punishes Austin for the sins of the Legislature."
"Nothing will play into the hands of those whom we oppose more than boycotting Austin, the city they call the People's Republic of Austin and that we call home," Adler said.
The 10-day festival endured its own immigration fiasco earlier this year, bowing to pressure on social media and from musical acts to remove a clause from its contract that threatened to call immigration enforcement on international acts that failed to comply with contract terms.
The festival is a huge boon for Austin. A study published in September by Greyhill Advisors estimated the 2016 festival injected $325.3 million into the local economy, including more than 59,000 hotel room nights that generated $1.8 million in tax revenue for the city last year.
Joshua Fechter reported for the San Antonio Express-News.
