AUSTIN, Texas _ The bill to ban so-called sanctuary cities is headed to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.
After the Texas House last week approved Senate Bill 4 following an emotional 16-hour debate, the Senate, which had already passed its own version, on Wednesday voted 20-11 along party lines to approve the House's modifications, averting the need for a joint committee to hash out the differences between the two chambers' versions.
In the beginning of the legislative session, Abbott said banning sanctuary cities, the common term for local jurisdictions that decline in some way to assist federal immigration enforcement, was one of his priorities for lawmakers.
SB 4 by GOP state Sen. Charles Perry imposes stiff penalties on local governments and officials who lead local police forces that restrict when officers can inquire about subjects' immigration status and on county jails that do not cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests, meant to facilitate deportation proceedings for inmates suspected of being unauthorized immigrants.
