Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 9 May 2017
Mexico and police chief slam Texas’ new ‘sanctuary city’ ban

San Antonio police chief bill does in the community
William McManus ripped or law enforcement.”
into the Republicans who Nevertheless, McManus
pushed the law through said his department will
despite the objections of abandon a policy that pro-
every big-city police chief hibits officers from asking
in the state. The Migration about a person’s immigra-
Policy Institute estimates tion status.
that Texas is home to more “We’re going to have to
than 1.4 million people who take it off the books,” said
are in the country illegally, McManus, adding that
including 71,000 living in it will probably have to
the San Antonio area. spend a year now training
McManus and the other his roughly 2,400 officers on
police chiefs, including immigration law.
those in Dallas and Hous- The law also drew rebuke
ton, say it will create a chill- from Mexico, which is Tex-
ing effect that will cause as’ largest trading part-
immigrant families to not ner and shares close ties
report crimes or come for- to the state. The country’s
ward as witnesses over foreign ministry said in a
fears that talking to local news release that the law
police could lead to de- could trample on the rights
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference in Houston. Abbott on Sunday, May 7, portation. Critics also fear of Mexican citizens who
2017, signed a so-called “sanctuary cities” ban that lets police ask during routine stops whether it will lead to the racial choose to live just across
someone is in the U.S. legally and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don’t cooperate with federal profiling of Hispanics and the border and promised
immigration agents. put officers in an unten- to “closely follow” the situ-
(Marie D. De Jesus /Houston Chronicle via AP) able position.“It’s either ation after the law takes
By PAUL J. WEBER gration law could lead to immigration status of any- skin color or language. effect.
Associated Press racial profiling and will fan one they detain, including What else does someone “These types of actions
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The distrust of the police by the during routine traffic stops. have to base it on?” Mc- criminalizes even more
Mexican government, San state’s many Hispanics. Republican Gov. Greg Ab- Manus said, referring to an the topic of immigration,
Antonio’s police chief and The law, which takes effect bott signed the law Sunday officer’s reason for inquir- foments racial discrimina-
others slammed Texas’ new in September and which evening on Facebook Live ing about a person’s immi- tory acts and reduces col-
“sanctuary cities” law on critics say is the most anti- with no advanced warn- gration status. “That leads laboration between the
Monday, saying that requir- immigrant since a 2010 Ari- ing. A few dozen people to profiling. Profiling leads immigrant community and
ing local law enforcement zona law, will allow police protested outside his man- to lawsuits. In my opinion, local authorities,” the min-
to help enforce U.S. immi- officers to ask about the sion in Austin on Monday. there is nothing positive this istry said.
The law also requires police
chiefs and sheriffs — under
the threat of jail and remov-
al from office — to comply
with federal requests to
hold criminal suspects in jail
for possible deportation.
Republicans have a strong
majority in the Legislature
and shoved aside Demo-
cratic objections, even as
President Donald Trump’s
efforts to withhold federal
funding for sanctuary cities
have hit roadblocks in fed-
eral courts.
“Isn’t this quasi-insane that
we have to pass a law to
force law enforcement of-
ficers to comply with the
law?” Abbott said Monday
on “Fox and Friends.”
Terri Burke, executive di-
rector of the ACLU of Tex-
as, said the group is com-
mitted to fighting the law
in court. But Texas took
the unusual step Monday
afternoon of asking a fed-
eral court in Austin to pre-
emptively find the law con-
stitutional, in an effort to
head off legal challenges
by cities and minority rights
groups.q