Texas Legislature passes ban on 'sanctuary cities'

The Texas Legislature has passed a ban on so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police

The Texas Legislature has passed a ban on so-called "sanctuary cities" that allows police officers to ask about a person's immigration status and threatens sheriffs and police chiefs with jail time if they don't work with federal authorities.

The GOP-led Senate passed the bill on Wednesday despite objections from Democrats, who call the bill a "show-me-your-papers" measure that will be used to discriminate against Latinos.

The term "sanctuary cities" has no legal definition, but Republicans want local police to help federal immigration agents crack down on criminal suspects in the U.S. illegally. The bill allows the state to withhold funding from local governments for acting as "sanctuary cities."

The Texas bill allows police to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they detain, a situation that can range from arrest for a crime to being stopped for a traffic violation.

It also requires local officials to comply with federal requests to hold criminal suspects for possible deportation.

Texas doesn't currently have any "sanctuary cities," but that hasn't stopped Mr. Abbott and Republican legislative leaders from pushing aggressively to ban them.

 Opponents say it opens the door to discrimination and intimidation. Many sheriffs and police chiefs in heavily Democratic areas warn that it would make their jobs harder if immigrant communities including crime victims and witnesses become afraid of the police.