Should the State of Texas Ban Sanctuary Cities? [POLL]

Yesterday, lawmakers in Texas started to pre-file bills for the upcoming legislative session. One issue that will come up again will be the issue of Sanctuary Cities. The issue was one of Governor Rick Perry's emergency items in 2011. According to the Texas Tribune:

The bill, which Gov. Rick Perry twice placed on his list of emergency items in 2011, would have denied state funds to local or state entities that prevented their law enforcement officers from inquiring into the immigration status of a person arrested or detained. It failed to pass both times.

In June, the high court ruled that a provision of Arizona’s SB 1070, which requires police officers to verify the legal status of people they stop or arrest, was not unconstitutional. Some conservatives here immediately said that would allow Texas lawmakers to enact a similar bill when the 2013 session begins in January.

On Monday, the first day lawmakers could pre-file bills for the upcoming session, lawmakers had yet to file an immigration-enforcement bill. A bill by state Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would eliminate in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

Perry on Monday reiterated his support for "sanctuary cities" legislation.

 

“Governor Perry still thinks banning sanctuary cities is good policy,” said Catherine Frazier, a Perry spokeswoman. “We need to ensure that local law enforcement has every tool available to keep Texans safe and that no municipality in our state is taking discretion away from our peace officers."

Frazier said it was premature to talk about whether the measure would be a priority item this next session, but opponents of the bill were already taking aim on Monday.

Do you think the Texas Legislature should ban Sanctuary Cities? Let us know what you think in today's KFYO Poll of the Day.