Texas Bans “Sanctuary Cities”’
Texas has almost 1.5 million illegal immigrants
Image by Gage Skidmore
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law on Sunday that bans Sanctuary Cities despite criticism from police officers over fears that it will diminish their ability to fight crime.
“As governor, my top priority is public safety, and this bill furthers that objective by keeping dangerous criminals off our streets,” Abbott said in a statement reports Reuters.
The law which goes into effect on September 1st not only allows officers to question a person about their residency status, but also allows police chiefs, sheriffs, constables, and jail administrators to be charged with a Class A misdemeanor if they refuse to comply with a federal detention request from the immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
According to Reuters, the measure also allows police to ask people about their immigration status during a lawful detention, even for minor infractions like jaywalking and police officers that ignore the law will be punished, removed from office, fined or even jailed.
Previous law did not require law enforcement to abide by ICE’s requests, instead allowing them to exercise their own judgment in detaining an individual.
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