Sanctuary City Ban Heading To Abbott’s Desk Soon

Governor Greg Abbott will soon be able to sign a priority of his, a ban on sanctuary cities in Texas.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Senator Charles Perry and the Texas Senate will likely accept the House version of S.B. 4 that was approved last week after hours of debate. The legislation would prohibit cities, counties, and universities from passing ordinances or banning law enforcement from asking about a person's immigration status.

During last weeks House debate, conservative lawmakers were successful in changing the House version of the bill that only allowed officers to inquire about a person's immigration status if that person was arrested. Instead, officers will now be about to ask about a person's immigration status if a person is lawfully detained. According to the Dallas Morning News, critics say this amount to a "show your papers law".

Last week, the House approved its version of the sanctuary cities bill which would allow the state to remove from office elected and appointed officials who violate the ban and allow law enforcement officers to ask about immigration stop during any legal stop. Critics of the law have called it "unconstitutional" and likened it to a "papers-please" law passed in Arizona.

Moderate Republicans in the House had attempted to soften the bill's tough punitive measures. But a brokered deal to do so fell through in the midst of the 16-hour debate over the bill last week. The House's version is now arguably stronger than the Senate's version.

Governor Abbott is widely expected to sign the legislation when it arrives on his desk.