It may have flown under your radar, but a court challenge to the Sanctuary Cities law in Texas has been largely thrown out.
The ruling largely upholding SB4 means Texas can now enforce the bill that passed in the last legislative session. State Senator Charles Perry was the lawmaker behind the bill and told KTRH he is happy but also has mixed feelings.
“I hate the fact that we have to make laws to tell local officals to obey the law. On that account it’s sad times that we’re in. On the other hand I’m glad the courts got it right,” Perry explained.
Not everyone is happy though. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reacted by telling a crowd of protesters “It remains my position that the Houston Police Department is not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and H.P.D. should not function as an arm of ICE.” On this point, Perry disagrees.
“I love Sylvester to death. I served with him well. He’s a bright, smart man and he’s a smart man. But on this account he’s just wrong,” Perry said, adding that the opponents of SB4 could appeal, and if that’s the case, he expects the Supreme Court to uphold what the Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled last week.