A Texas Senate panel shrugged off 16 hours of sometimes tearful pleas and defiant opposition to approve a "sanctuary cities" proposal that would withhold grant funding from local jurisdictions that don't hand over immigrants already in custody for possible deportation.
A 7-2 vote around 12:45 a.m. Friday from the chamber's powerful State Affairs Committee sends the bill to the full Senate, where a vote could come as early as next week.
Hundreds of Texans traveled from all over the state to testify on the bill and proceedings were repeatedly disrupted by protesters. Supporters say the measure will impose the rule of law, but civic groups, immigration lawyers, church leaders and Hispanic activists oppose it, fearing it will lead to racial profiling and promote mistrust of law enforcement among minority communities.
The committee voted along party lines and the hotly contested bill should clear the Senate too, since Republicans control 20 of its 31 seats. Similar measures have been backed by top Texas Republicans in previous years but never became law. A bill reaching the Senate floor so early in the state's legislative session — which began Jan. 10 and runs through the end of May — bodes well for its chances this time.
The Texas Democratic Party accused Republicans of using the late hour to rush legislation that much of the state doesn't want. The committee had scheduled a second meeting to discuss the bill after 8:30 a.m. on Friday, but canceled that after succeeding in voting overnight.
"In the dead of the night, while the very families that will be targeted by this discriminatory legislation were asleep, Republicans voted to launch Trump's deportation force agenda," Manny Garcia, the party's deputy executive director, said in a statement Friday.
Republican state Sen. Charles Perry said local authorities must enforce the law.
"This is not a deportation bill, this is a rule-of-law bill," Perry said. "We have almost a culture of contempt for federal immigration law."
The term "sanctuary cities" has no legal definition, but Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has promoted the legislation as a move to crackdown on criminal suspects who are in the country illegally. The issue has become contentious in many legislatures around the country, especially with President Donald Trump promising to wall off the U.S.-Mexico border and impose strict federal immigration policies.
As proposed, Texas' bill applies to local police forces and law enforcement at college campuses, and seeks to strip authorities of state-controlled grant funding if they don't comply — though some of its key provisions may change as it clears the Senate and makes its way through Texas' Republican-controlled state House.
Individual sheriffs and police chiefs — particularly in heavily Democratic areas — have long opposed enforcing federal immigration law, though some statewide law enforcement groups have endorsed the bill. Abbott has already blocked $1.5 million to be withheld from the Travis County sheriff, who has said the jails in the state capital, Austin, will no longer honor most federal immigration detainers. That funding supported projects such as family violence education and a special court for veterans. The governor has warned that more money could be cut.
On Friday, an Austin Democratic lawmaker launched a website to fundraise money to replace the grant dollars.
"If Governor Abbott is willing to sacrifice our veterans, women and children to score political points, then we will show him the power of love," state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez said.
Opponents of the measure say immigrant communities won't cooperate with law enforcement for fear of deportation if anti-sanctuary cities legislation is approved in Texas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blocked funding to Austin on Wednesday after its sheriff said the city’s jails would no longer honor most federal immigration detainers.
Abbott’s move begins a crackdown over sanctuary city policies in the state. The Republican governor is also pushing to sign new laws that could go even further than President Donald Trump’s new executive actions against sanctuary policies.
Travis County officials condemned Abbott’s decision, which would cost Austin 1.5 million in grant money earmarked for crime victim services, courts and other programs. They stood by Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who announced after Trump’s inauguration that her jails would only honor immigration holds I murder, aggravated sexual assault and human trafficking cases.
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt wrote in a letter to Abbott that she was confident the sheriff is within the law.
"I am certain you have come to the same conclusion; else you would not be seeking to change current State law to put all Texas Sheriffs in the service of the United States Department of Homeland Security," Eckhardt wrote.
The revoked funds came a day after Abbott used his State of the State address to declare a "sanctuary city" ban an urgent priority for lawmakers. A Senate committee on Thursday is expected to vote on a bill that would deny state grant funds to jurisdictions that discourage "inquiring into the immigration status of a person under lawful detention or arrest."
Abbott has also called for the power to remove locally elected officials if they don't comply.
Abbott announced the legislation in an interview Wednesday with "Fox & Friends," saying he and fellow Republicans in the Texas legislature are working to ban sanctuary cities and impose financial and criminal penalties on officials who fail to comply.
"We are working on laws that will ... ban sanctuary cities [and] remove from office any officer-holder who promotes sanctuary cities," he said.
While Abbott can’t personally remove a local official, the governor hopes to work with lawmakers in Austin who have filed multiple bills that would punish local governments for not arresting or detaining immigrants living in the country illegally.
Last November, Texas state Sen. Charles Perry filed SB 4 which would eliminate sanctuary cities in the state and was similar to one he filed during the 2015 session that would have required county jails to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“What the governor said yesterday is that he wanted this added to a bill,” a spokesperson for Abbott told Fox News. “It’s something that we’ve been bouncing around in the office for a while.”
While this is not the first time that Abbott has had to deal with a rogue law enforcement officer in regard to sanctuary cities – in 2015, the governor warned Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez to back down from a policy change on federal immigration detention requests or face financial penalties – his office says Hernandez has gone a step too far.
Summarized by Maven Stark
Follow @mavenstark
Mavenvision Stock Imagery Featuring high quality, royaltie-free images available for purchase on Bigstock
Mavenvision Stock
Mavenimagery
Mavenmantes EyeEm collection
Madeira Beach, Florida
No comments:
Post a Comment