Thread: Texas House Passes "Sanctuary Cities" Legislation

Texas House Passes "Sanctuary Cities" Legislation

by Julian Aguilar
26 minutes ago
2 Comments

After hours of contentious and often emotional debate, the Texas House passed HB 12, the controversial "Sanctuary Cities" legislation, which would prohibit cities, counties and other governmental entities or special districts from adopting a policy that prevents law enforcement from asking persons lawfully detained or arrested if they are in the country legally. Entities not in compliance could risk losing state funds.

The measure was passed on a 100 to 47 vote just after midnight.

Opponents of the legislation, proposed by state Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, fear it will lead to racial profiling and harassment of legal residents and citizens. Proponents of HB 12, which was declared an "emergency" item by Gov. Rick Perry, say it is a necessary tool to free up law enforcement to better identify those in the country illegally, including criminals.

The legislation is, to date, the most controversial immigration-related legislation before state lawmakers and has ignited a controversy over what opponents also say may be the unintended consequences of the legislation. Texas could fare worse than Arizona, they say, which has faced widespread condemnation after it enacted SB 1070. The state has since been sued by the U.S. Department of Justice and has lost millions in tourism and convention-related revenue.

“When you cast this vote I hope you realize that nine million Hispanics will take it personally,â€

well Texas .. your still in the running for my tourist dollars

California, New York and even Florida the state I live in .. your shit out of luck

I will spend the bare minimum here until I find a new state to reside in

good job Texas!

Very good. We will save dollars without illegals. All illegals must deported now.

“My skin is brown. I am Hispanic and I am not afraid of House Bill 12," said state Rep. Jose Aliseda, R-Beeville, a member of the inaugural class of the Hispanic Republic Conference.

WTG TEXAS! If Rep. Aliseda were my Rep. I'd be sporting a bumper sticker or a yard sign supporting this man. He really really gets it! It's the illegals giving all Hispanics a bad image!

Texas House passes bill that would end sanctuary cities
by Zahira Torres / Austin Bureau
Posted: 05/10/2011 06:07:45 AM MDT

AUSTIN -- Law enforcement officers-even those at public schools-would be allowed to ask about the legal status of people they detain under a bill that tentatively passed Monday in the Texas House.

The Republican majority passed the measure just before midnight on a vote of 100-47 after cutting off debate to bypass about 30 remaining amendments.

Republican state Rep. Dee Margo was the only El Paso lawmaker to vote for the bill. He was also the only one who supported cutting off debate so that Democrats could not propose additional amendments or continue arguing against the measure.

The bill calls for the elimination of so-called sanctuary cities in Texas. Specific cities that fit into that category have not been identified.

It has sparked deep divisions between Democrats and Republicans in the state Legislature about whether it is aimed not only at undocumented immigrants but also at the state's Hispanic population.

"It used to be you would get stopped for driving while black, well now you'll get stopped for driving while Mexican," state Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, said.

Texas has 25.1 million residents, about 38 percent of which are Hispanic.

Both Republicans and Democrats acknowledged that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. Democrats say it should remain with the federal government, while Republicans say the state must get involved.

But state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, said the bill is about more than just combating illegal
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immigration. He said some unnamed lawmakers in the Texas Capitol have confided in him under the assumption that since he is white he shares their views.

"I've heard people talk about legislation like this, who look like me, who have last names that don't sound Hispanic," he said. "They believe that things like this are meant to keep Hispanics from taking over."

On the other end, state Rep. Jose Aliseda, R-Beeville, accused Democrats of "grandstanding." He said the bill coincides with federal
TX CAPITOL REPORT
A view from the state capitol.
law.

"My skin is brown. I look Hispanic and I'm not afraid of House Bill 12," Aliseda said. He added, "I've never suffered from ethnic profiling, unnecessary detention, or harassment."

Local governments and law enforcement that prohibit employees from asking people they detain or arrest if they are in the country legally would risk losing state grant funding and could be sued under the bill. That includes peace officers at school districts and hospitals.

The debate was not short on personal stories of racial profiling and discrimination.

State Rep. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, said his father was once outside painting his house when he was questioned by police about his immigration status and put into a police car. He said his mom had to come out of their home with documents to prove that his dad was in the country legally.

Menendez said the bill will instill fear in elderly Hispanics like his mother, who is in the country legally, but does not speak English very well.

"I hope you realize it will be a vote that nine million Hispanics will take personally," Menendez, D-San Antonio, said.

Republicans who support the bill said governments should not be able to "pick and choose" what laws they enforce.

State Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Tomball, said the bill should not be portrayed as anti-Hispanic because it "is about the terrorist element of our world that are in this country."

State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said he disagreed with the interpretations of the bill by some Democrats who were talking "like we were in Nazi Germany where a Gestapo agent would stop and say let me see your papers."

Cracking down on illegal immigration is a key priority for many Republicans in the state who used it as a platform in their primary elections. It is one of Gov. Rick Perry's emergency items.

Hospital and school district employees, other than peace officers, would be exempt from the bill under amendments that were approved Monday night.

After final passage, which is expected today, the bill will move to the Senate.

Normally, it takes 21 votes for a bill to be debated on the Senate floor.

Senators, however, scrapped that tradition to pass the state budget and could employ the same strategy to pass the sanctuary cities bill.

State Sen. Jose RodrÃ*guez, D-El Paso, said he is not optimistic about Democrats' ability to halt the legislation in the Senate "given that we keep suspending the rules here and ignoring longstanding tradition."

"Obviously, I will do everything I can to try to stop the sanctuary cities bill from coming over here," Rodriguez said. "It will be terrible policy for the state."

El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles and other law enforcement leaders in the state have said the bill equates to an unfunded mandate that would leave counties saddled with the costs of housing undocumented immigrants in jails, providing officer training and fighting lawsuits that may arise. Officials have said those costs will leave taxpayers footing the bill.

Wiles said it would tear down the trust that law enforcement has established with communities, make people less willing to report crimes and lead to slower response times.

The bill "will divert law enforcement attention, distracting officers from performing the daily duties that keep our communities safe, and leaving Texans unprotected from dangerous foreign or domestic criminals," Wiles said in a letter, adding that police chiefs and sheriffs need the discretion to set priorities for their officers.

Zahira Torres may be reached at ztorres@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606

http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_18029135? ... ost_viewed

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http://www.alipac.us/article-6288--0-0.html

Originally Posted by nomas

“My skin is brown. I am Hispanic and I am not afraid of House Bill 12," said state Rep. Jose Aliseda, R-Beeville, a member of the inaugural class of the Hispanic Republic Conference.

WTG TEXAS! If Rep. Aliseda were my Rep. I'd be sporting a bumper sticker or a yard sign supporting this man. He really really gets it! It's the illegals giving all Hispanics a bad image!

It is racist and nationalist Mexicans giving all latin/hispanic peoples a bad name and stirring up racism in the U S for their political and social agendas...They are the racist brownshirts, La Raza, Reconqista, Aztlan, etc etc...
My Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican friends want nothing to do with them...

Originally Posted by PaulRevere9

It is racist and nationalist Mexicans giving all latin/hispanic peoples a bad name and stirring up racism in the U S for their political and social agendas...They are the racist brownshirts, La Raza, Reconqista, Aztlan, etc etc... My Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican friends want nothing to do with them...

If elected representatives would pay attention to polls of likely voters, they'd realize that Hispanics, as well as blacks and Asians, actually favor enforcement of our immigration laws. I suspect that Hispanics are increasingly realizing that illegals are undercutting their children and their grandchildren, along with the offspring of all other Americans.

Full props to the Texas House for tryng to protect Americans.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

Fairt trade, not free trade

I'm not going to get too excited yet. This bill has to make it through the Senate, then be signed by Rick Perry.