Federal appeals court's ruling upholds most of Texas' "sanctuary cities" law

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Texas Tribune

Federal appeals court's ruling upholds most of Texas' "sanctuary cities" law

As the case over Senate Bill 4 plays out, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that most of the immigration enforcement legislation can remain in effect.

BY JULIÁN AGUILAR MARCH 13, 2018 UPDATED: MARCH 14, 2018

_{Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.}

A panel of three 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges ruled Tuesday that most of the state’s immigration enforcement legislation, Senate Bill 4, can remain in effect while the case plays out, handing a victory to Gov. Greg Abbott and Republican supporters of the law.

As passed, Senate Bill 4 allows local law enforcement officers to question the immigration status of people they detain or arrest and punishes local government department heads and elected officials who don’t cooperate with federal immigration "detainers" — requests by agents to turn over immigrants subject to possible deportation — in the form of jail time and penalties that exceed $25,000. 

The one part of SB 4 that is still on hold is a provision that punishes local officials for “adopting, enforcing or endorsing” policies that specifically prohibit or limit enforcement of immigration laws.