Texas police will not start demanding people’s immigration status when they show up at shelters fleeing Hurricane Harvey, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday.
The governor did not, however, say anything about suspending the enactment date of the state’s strict new anti-sanctuary city law, slated to take effect Friday.
“When people are going to evacuation centers, when people are seeking help or anything like that, no one is being asked about their status,” the governor said.
Top Democrats have called for the law, known as SB4, to be delayed. Houston’s mayor said he personally would provide legal representation for any illegal immigrants snared by police while seeking relief from Harvey.
SB 4 would permit police to check immigration status of those they encounter and have reasonable suspicion to believe are in the country illegally — though it doesn’t require the checks.
It would also impose penalties on localities that enact sanctuary policies preventing status checks or limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Elected or appointed officials could be removed from office, while police chiefs and sheriffs could face criminal charges for defying the new law.
A number of cities have challenged the law, and the case has been pending for weeks before U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia, a Clinton appointee to the bench.
Analysts expect the judge to rule before the Friday deadline for the law to take effect.
A 2016 study by the Pew Hispanic Center said Texas had more than 1.6 million illegal immigrants living in the state in 2014 — about 15 percent of the country’s total.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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