factgazette.com by Lucia Summers April 29, 2017
The Texas House of Representatives has given tentative approval of a bill to ban so-called sanctuary cities.
The bill's House sponsor, Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, said his version of the bill, which only included arrests, meant to ensure safety for all community members and keep criminals out of the country rather than target the undocumented population. Law enforcement officials and those in immigrant communities fear the law will have a chilling effect on undocumented immigrants, causing them to not report crimes or come forward as witnesses for fear that contact with police can lead to ICE detention and deportation.
Police leaders across Texas, meanwhile, including Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, warned that this bill would make communities less safe.
"The message that we are sending from this body is that once your work is done, you and your families had better stay in the shadows", Anchia said moments before the final vote was taken Thursday.
The Texas Legislature will next send SB 4 to a conference committee to negotiate differences between the Senate and House version of the bill.
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http://factgazette.com/2017/04/29/texas-is-about-to-crack-down-on-undocumented-immigrants.html
