Protests grow as Texas moves against ‘sanctuary’ cities

In January, newly elected Sheriff Sally Hernandez said in a statement on the Sheriff’s Office website that she was “following all state and federal laws, and upholding constitutional rights to due process for all in our criminal justice system”.

Sanctuary cities in general offer safety to undocumented migrants and often do not use municipal funds or resources to advance the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Officials say there is a chance this bill may pass as early as next week.

Eckhardt said the county has no interest in letting the defunded programs languish, and she pledged to look for other alternative revenue sources.

“There’s nearly a culture of contempt for the federal law in this area”, Perry said.

Travis County Judge Sarah EckhardtLike other law enforcement official across the country, Hernandez has cited the corrosive effect aggressive enforcement of immigration laws has on vulnerable communities, whose members become averse to report crimes for fear of having their status discovered.

“We risk further endangering vulnerable women and children who fall prey to exploitation and extortion from human traffickers, violent gangs, unscrupulous businesses, and racist injustices”, said Sen.

As to why the Texas governor has such a no-nonsense approach to sanctuary cities, he left no doubt about his motivation.

Abbott tweeted on January 31: “I’m declaring banning sanctuary cities in #Texas an emergency item”. Republicans in both the Senate and House support the bill.

Before the protests end against what President Trump himself originally called a “Muslim ban,” Texas is talking about passing an immigration enforcement law that would go far beyond banning “sanctuary cities”.

Gov. Greg Abbott detailed his vision for Texas on Tuesday, imploring lawmakers to approve “emergency” legislation on child protection, ethics and so-called sanctuary cities, ordering a hiring freeze for most state agencies and proposing a budget that would cut business franchise taxes by $250 million. Even so, Hernandez is refusing to back down.

S.B. 4 would also force county jails to give up undocumented immigrants wanted by the feds.

“There are consequences to actions, and the outcome of not applying law that these officials were elected and swore oath to uphold, would be that you would lose your state funding”, Perry said.

While Perry and the bill’s Republican supporters have said the measure would keep local police from releasing unsafe criminals onto the streets, numerous state’s major police chiefs, including San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, contend the proposal would be a disaster for local departments.

Following a series of outbursts from people crowded into the Senate chamber, the chair of the committee said she would clear the gallery if the disruptions continued.

“It allows for departments like mine and others to face liability for things we have no control over”, he said.

State Senator Charles Perry introduced SB4 in November, but updated the bill this week to now cover college campuses and expand potential punishments for local entities that choose to not enforce immigration laws. “His anti-immigrant hysteria damages local law enforcement and our entire community”.

Issues such as teacher-student sexual assault, immigration law enforcement, border security, pre-k funding reform, and school finances were also touched on by the Governor, and will be discussed by the legislature in the weeks to come.