Federal district court blocks Texas' sanctuary cities law Dallas Morning News, Aug 31, 2017
A federal district judge in San Antonio blocked significant portions of Texas' sanctuary cities ban Wednesday, two days before the law was set to go into effect — a significant blow to Gov. Greg Abbott, who said the state would appeal.
In a 94-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked provisions in the law that required local law enforcement departments to comply with federal requests to hold unauthorized immigrants in their custody. He also blocked a part of the law that said local departments couldn't implement policies that would "materially limit" the enforcement of immigration laws.
Garcia echoed the concerns of local officials and law enforcement leaders who had said the law would put their communities at risk and make their jobs more difficult.
"There is overwhelming evidence by local officials, including local law enforcement, that SB 4 will erode public trust and make many communities and neighborhoods less safe he wrote, referring to Senate Bill 4.
Abbott and other Republican lawmakers had said the law would stand up to scrutiny and do the opposite — increase public safety. Abbott had targeted Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez for implementing a so-called sanctuary city policy.
"Today's decision makes Texas' communities less safe," Abbott said in a written statement. "Because of this ruling, gang members and dangerous criminals, like those who have been released by the Travis County Sheriff, will be set free to prey upon our communities."
The order did not block a portion of the law that allows police officers to ask people's immigration status during any legal detention, but it limited the actions officers can take after learning that a person is undocumented. Officers can only report the person's immigration status to federal authorities.
"In sum, SB 4 gives local officers discretion to inquire and share information but it does not provide them with discretion to act upon the information that they may obtain," Garcia wrote in a footnote.
More:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2017/08/30/federal-district-court-blocks-sanctuary-cities-law
