Houston joins legal fight against "sanctuary cities" law in Texas

Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-26 02:20:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan
Video PlayerClose

By Robert Stanton

HOUSTON, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The City of Houston in the state of Texas in south U.S. has joined a growing list of cities that oppose the state's new "sanctuary cities" law that targets illegal immigrants.

Houston City Council this week voted to join in a lawsuit with the Texas cities of El Paso, San Antonio and Austin opposing the new law, known as House Bill 4 (HB4). The law allows law enforcement officers to question the immigration status of people they detain or arrest.

The law goes even further by punishing officers who don't cooperate with federal agents by turning over immigrants. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the new law raises serious Constitutional concerns.

"We want people to report crimes," Turner said. "When somebody sees somebody doing something illegal, or if they have been victimized by criminals, we don't want them to be reluctant to report those crimes.

"As affirmed by police chiefs from throughout the state of Texas, HB4 makes us less safe," Turner said. "It doesn't make us more safe."

Under Texas law, police officers generally cannot arrest people without probable cause of a crime, and immigration violations often end up in civil court, versus a criminal court.

Some people believe that Houston and several other Texas cities are sanctuary cities, where police officers are not allowed to enforce immigration laws or cooperate with federal immigrant officials.

Civil rights advocate Al Maldonado said the new law encourages stereotyping and racial profiling of innocent people of color by Texas law-enforcement officers.

"There's a fear of being racially profiled," said Maldonado, director of League of United Latin American Citizens District 8, which covers 27 Texas counties encompassing over 100,000 citizens.

"There's also the fear of getting involved ... that people may not want to cooperate (with police) for fear of being selected to show their (immigration) documents," he said. "I'm dark-skinned, and if I'm wearing casual clothes, don't have my driver's license with me and I cannot prove that I'm a citizen, I might get caught up in that system."

Maldonado said that Houston's decision to join in the lawsuit against HB4 is a big step to get the law overturned.

"As Houston being largest city in Texas and one of largest, most diverse in the country, that will carry some weight and influence on the lawsuit," he said.

Texas is the first state to officially ban sanctuary cities under President Donald Trump. Colorado passed a law in 2006 outlawing sanctuary cities, but the measure was repealed in 2013. So far, only Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee have officially passed bills into law banning sanctuary policies.

The Texas law is set to take effect on Sept. 1.

TOP STORIES
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST VIEWED
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011105091363939561