Sessions: U.S. backs Texas in sanctuary city lawsuit
Critics call ban unconstitutional
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday that the Trump administration “fully supports” Texas’ harsh new ban on sanctuary cities, and that the Department of Justice will help defend it against a federal court challenge next week.
Lawyers for the tiny border city of El Cenizo, the League of United Latin American Citizens and major cities such as Dallas and Austin say the law requiring them to detain immigrants for federal deportation agents is “patently unconstitutional.” On Monday, they will urge U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio to block the law from taking effect Sept. 1.
The state of Texas argues that the government is within its rights to bar localities from interfering with immigration enforcement. Under the law, elected officials could lose their jobs, police chiefs could go to jail, and governments could face fines of up to $25,500 a day if they adopt or enforce policies that prevent law enforcement officers from asking about a person’s immigration status or complying with requests to detain immigrants, a job that has been chiefly the responsibility of federal agents.
“President Trump has made a commitment to keep America safe and to ensure cooperation with federal immigration laws,” Mr. Sessions said in a statement. “Texas has admirably followed his lead by mandating statewide cooperation with federal immigration laws that require the removal of illegal aliens who have committed crimes.”
Luis Roberto Vera Jr., the national general counsel for the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is a plaintiff in the case, said the Texas law is discriminatory because it primarily targets Hispanics, one of the state’s largest groups.
The faceoff comes amid rising tensions nationwide over the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, and its relentless march forward despite a string of losses in federal courts.
On Friday, congressional aides said House Republicans are advancing two bills that would withhold some federal grant money from socalled sanctuary cities; give greater legal weight to immigration detainers, which are requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to local jails to hold immigrants who are being targeted for deportation; and shield local governments from lawsuits related to detainers. A second bill would increase penalties against deported immigrants who return illegally.