Sanctuary cities law won’t lead to profiling, Abbott says
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott sought to dispel fears that the new sanctuary cities law will prompt profiling, as a growing group of communities promised to join in challenging the law in a “summer of resistance.”
“As the husband of the first Hispanic first lady in the state of Texas, I want to make sure that neither she nor her family is going to be stopped and detained inappropriately,” Abbott said Tuesday when asked about concerns over the law, known as Senate Bill 4.
“If you are Hispanic — or, frankly, anybody from any other country — you are not going to be stopped and required to show your papers unless you are suspected of having committed some serious crime,” Abbott said.
He spoke to reporters after a memorial service for fallen peace officers at the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“The governor and the other cynical supporters of SB 4 know this law has nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with scapegoating immigrants for their political gain,” said Austin City Councilman Greg Casar.
Casar was among leaders from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and El Paso County who gathered Tuesday at the south steps of the Capitol with promises to fight the law in court.
The sanctuary cities law is touted by Abbott and other supporters as a public safety measure meant to crack down on local entities that provide safe harbor to people who are here illegally and may commit crimes.
It has drawn strong criticism from civil rights activists, immigrant advocates and Democratic lawmakers, including Latinos who say that people who look like them will be unfairly targeted.
Top law enforcement officials opposed the law, saying it will erode trust and reduce cooperation of the community with police.
The law requires local governmental entities and law enforcement officials to comply with federal immigration laws and detainer requests for people in custody. It includes a Class A misdemeanor charge for sheriffs, police chiefs or constables who fail to comply with federal immigration detainer requests. It provides for removal from office for elected or appointed officials who don’t abide by the law.
Maverick County and El Cenizo, a small town south of Laredo, already have filed a lawsuit saying the law infringes on the rights of city and county officials.
The state has taken a proactive position in court. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion for declaratory judgment a day after Abbott signed the measure into law, seeking a ruling that the ban is constitutional and can be implemented as scheduled on Sept. 1.