The city of San Antonio will file a lawsuit Thursday challenging Senate Bill 4, the recently signed law that will punish local governments like San Antonio that have policies preventing law enforcement officers from asking about immigration status.

The lawsuit will be filed on behalf of the city by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, District 4 Councilman Rey Saldaña’s office said Wednesday.

The state law, which takes effect in September, creates fines for local governments that prevent police from asking about immigration status and a process to remove officials who enforce similar policies. San Antonio police are directed to not ask about immigration status.

Police Chief William McManus has said his department cooperates with immigration authorities in other ways, including allowing deportation officers into the city’s detention center.

Last week, the city of El Paso sued the state over the law, asking a judge to declare it unconstitutional. Austin’s City Council approved a similar lawsuit last week, and the small border city of El Cenizo sued the state May 8, the day after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law.

Earlier that day, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a pre-emptive lawsuit against the city of Austin, Travis County and MALDEF asking for a declaratory judgment that the law is constitutional. All those cases are still pending.

“It is my hope that other small and large Texas cities stand shoulder to shoulder with San Antonio and join the lawsuit,” Saldaña said in a statement. “Texas cities need to band together in fighting back a Legislature that has lost sight of problem solving and is wholly consumed by the politics of manufacturing fear and anger towards the most vulnerable in our community.”

jbuch@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlbuch