Abbott: State ‘must pass’ anti-sanctuary city laws

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday embraced cracking down on local governments that ban police from asking about a person’s immigration status, after previously saying little about contentious “sanctuary city” policies since taking office.

His support follows conservative activists criticizing the Republican governor for not prioritizing get-tough immigration measures early in his term. It also follows the Dallas County jail recently deciding it would no longer honor all detainer requests from federal immigration agents in the nation’s seventh-largest lockup.

“Sanctuary cities” has no legal meaning, but the term has become shorthand describing cities that provide refuge to people living in the country without legal permission.

“Texas must pass laws that prohibit any policy or action like yours that promotes sanctuary to people in this state illegally,” Abbott wrote in a letter to Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.

Abbott spokesman John Wittman confirmed that the governor wants the issue on the table when the Legislature returns in 2017.

Despite overwhelming Republican majorities, the Texas Legislature has failed to pass sanctuary cities proposals in three consecutive sessions. That includes 2011 when then-Gov. Rick Perry declared it a priority during the run-up to his White House candidacy, and this year, when tea party leaders wrested control of the state Senate.

But outrage reignited nationally this summer after a woman was fatally shot in San Francisco by a Mexican national who had been released from jail despite a federal detainer request. Last week in Congress, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bill that would have punished jurisdictions that don’t share immigration information or cooperate with federal requests. The White House had threatened a veto.

In September, Valdez said the Dallas jail would no longer extend the stay of suspects who are in the country illegally and suspected of minor crimes.

Big-city sheriffs have often told Texas lawmakers that sanctuary city laws would impose a chilling effect in immigrant communities and dissuade them from seeking help or helping police solve crimes.