A pair of Texas mayors have asked the Department of Homeland Security to define the term "sanctuary city." The request came after Travis County commissioners voted to support San Francisco's legal challenge to the Trump Administration's crackdown.
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Austin Mayor Steve Adler are among those seeking clarification on the term "sanctuary city" after Attorney General Jeff Sessions' threat to pull federal funding.
“They don't seem to have a grasp on the situation, so I welcome them to get a definition,” says Andy Hogue, spokesperson for the Travis County Republican Party.
“Let's have a definition, let's discuss it and let's, as a Republican and Democrat, come up with a definition.”
Meanwhile, Travis County commissioners voted this week to support San Francisco's lawsuit.
“We see that Travis County, on the county level, on the Austin city level, and even in the sheriff's department has basically said we're a sanctuary city and we make no bones about it,” says Hogue.
Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, dubbed "Sanctuary Sally," fired back at the attorney general's threat by disputing ICE's claim her department is a sanctuary for illegal aliens.
“Our Republican nominee did a very strong campaign against sanctuary city policies and she still managed to win,” says Hogue. “Hopefully, as people see the results of her sanctuary county policies, we'll see a bipartisan coalition come up and realize there's something here that transcends party boundaries and gets right down to common sense.”