Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott
A Texas bill to punish sanctuary cities may get fast-tracked into law.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s call on Monday to legislatively crack down on officials who thwart Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests is one step closer to reality. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday that he probably has the votes to pass such a bill if a 30-day special session is called.
“A simple 16-vote majority is all that is needed to pass legislation” during a special session, Patrick spokesman Keith Elkins told the Texas Tribune on Friday.
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The push for legislative action came in conjunction with a scathing letter Abbott released on Monday for Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez.
“Kate Steinle was brutally murdered last summer in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant who was released by a local sheriff who refused to honor ICE’s detainer request. It is unacceptable for a Texas Sheriff to take a similarly dangerous path by departing from the strictest ICE standards. The ICE Director has forewarned that reduced cooperation from local governments – like Sheriffs – may increase the risk that dangerous criminals are returned to the streets, putting the public and our officers at great risk,” wrote Abbott.
“Your refusal to fully participate in a federal law enforcement program intended to keep dangerous criminals off the streets leaves the State no choice but to take whatever actions are necessary to protect our fellow Texans’. Policies like yours compel Texas to take action to protect Texans’ safety and to reduce the costs that those policies may impose on Texas taxpayers.”
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez (Photo: Facebook, Sheriff Lupe Valdez)
Steinle, 32, died July 1 when an illegal immigrant shot her along a San Francisco pier as she walked with her father. Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, 45, admitted to killing the woman shortly after his arrest.
San Francisco Judge Brendan Conroy ruled Sept. 4 that Sanchez, who now says the gun fired accidentally, must stand trail on a first-degree murder charge.
Sheriff Valdez, a Democrat, said she will only consider ICE’s immigration detainers on a “case-by-case” basis, Breitbart News reported Oct. 26.
Texas Republicans agree with Lt. Gov. Patrick’s assertion a bill would successfully pass if a special session were called.
“I do think the support is there in the House chamber to take action,” Rep. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, the chairman of the House Republican Caucus, told the Texas Tribune.
Retiring Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, said, “It would probably pass. It sounds like it would pass on a party-line vote, and those are as valid as any other,” the newspaper reported.
Sen. Konni Burton of of Colleyville, who replaced former Democratic gubernatorial contender Wendy Davis, said she would be “extremely supportive” of efforts to pass a sanctuary city bill in a special session.
The Texas Legislature has failed to pass sanctuary cities proposals in three consecutive sessions, the Associated Press reported Monday. It’s failure comes despite large Republican majorities.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, center, says a sanctuary cities bill has enough Republican support to pass if a special session if called (Photo: Facebook, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick)
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