Court Rules: Ban on Sanctuary Cities In Texas Can Begin

In a major victory for President Trump and his quest to enforce the rule of law when it comes to illegal immigration, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Texas’s ban on ‘sanctuary cities’ can proceed.

The unanimous decision by the court’s panel allows states to punish those jurisdictions that fail to cooperate in turning illegal immigrants over to the federal government for deportation.

They ruled that the federal government’s ‘detainer’ requests were, in fact, legal, and the Texas law requires that local authorities comply with them or risk jail time or removal from their position.

Judge Edith H. Jones concluded that opponents of the measure would not succeed on the merits of their case, adding “none of the other challenged provisions of (the law) facially violate the Constitution.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott celebrated the ruling on social media.

“Allegations of discrimination were rejected,” he wrote. “Law is in effect.”

The law that bans ‘sanctuary cities’ was passed in May of 2017, with Abbott warning some “sheriffs could wind up behind the very bars they are releasing these criminals from.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton praised the Appeals Court ruling, issuing a statement that reads in part, “Enforcing immigration law prevents the release of individuals from custody who have been charged with serious crimes.”

He reiterated that the law banning ‘sanctuary cities’ in his state “is lawful, Constitutional and protects the safety of law enforcement officers and all Texans.”

The law has been fervently defended by Republicans citing one public official in general – Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez.

Hernandez vowed on the day President Trump was sworn in to limit cooperation with ICE.

“The public must be confident that local law enforcement is focused on local, public safety, not on federal immigration enforcement,” she said, seemingly unaware that enforcing the law does affect public safety.

Perhaps this is the first elected Democrat who should be removed from office or jailed for refusing to enforce the law.

Are you happy to see the ban on sanctuary cities upheld in Texas? Share your thoughts below!

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

Mentioned in this article: