Sanctuary cities are a haven for immigrants in North America and Europe. These are municipal jurisdictions which limit their cooperation with the government with regard to the enforcement of immigration law. The main aim of sanctuary cities is to enable immigrants to be able to access social amenities such as hospitals and to enroll their children in schools. These centers work to reduce the fear of deportation and also to prevent the disintegration of families among people who are in the country illegally. There is a debate on the existence and legality of sanctuary cities as its advocates assert that it is not the role of the local police to enforce immigration law. Those who oppose the existence and operation of sanctuary cities claim that these organizations should assist the government in the enforcement of immigration laws and not oppose the operation of the government. Texas recently passed a law banning sanctuary cities. This paper looks into what the law sates, the implications of the law in the event that it is fully implemented, the costs of implementing the law as well as the rationality of this law.
The Republican Governor of Texas Gregg Abbott signed the bill into law after it was approved by lawmakers (Johnson & Simon, 2017). The law outlaws the existence of sanctuary cities and criminalizes the act of sheriffs and local police failure to cooperate with the immigration department. The governor claims that the bill was signed into law so as to ensure the security of Texans. The law precludes any measure that prevents law enforcement officers from inquiring about the immigration status of individuals. Law enforcement is also given the power to detain illegal immigrant suspects longer for possible deportation. It also states that violation of the sanctuary ban is a criminal offence and shall lead to removal from office of any officer who goes against it. The sanctuary ban is an incentive for illegal immigration, according to the Lt. Governor of Texas. Its removal shall secure the safety of the citizens by reducing the number of illegal immigrants into the state. The bill also gives power to the state government to withhold funding from local governments that support the sanctuary cities.
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Advocates for sanctuary cities argue that the new law is a legal and fiscal disaster (Barragan, 2017). The removal of sanctuary cities shall lead to increased fear of deportation. This is because local law enforcement shall not be under any obligation to protect illegal immigrants lest they lose their jobs. Many immigrants in the country shall have to deal with family break-ups, especially in the event where children are separated from their parents. Public safety shall also be affected owing to the crackdowns on illegal immigrants which are expected to be on the rise. Deterioration of public safety shall spoil the relationship that the public has with the law enforcement making it more difficult for citizens to report crimes. Public safety shall also be at risk because of the increase in racial profiling and discrimination. It should be noted that not all Texans are white. Most of the minority groups shall be targets of the implementation of the new laws hence their safety is compromised. Intimidation and harassment are expected to be on the rise since the ban on sanctuary cities and the legalization of active crackdowns on illegal immigrant shall open doors for immigrants and other minority groups to be bullied and their rights violated. Access of social services such as health care shall be hindered because people will be afraid of having their immigration status looked into. Reduced use and access to social amenities shall put a dent in the amount of revenue collected from these social services.
Lawmakers claim that the purpose of the bill is to ensure the security of citizens and legal immigrants (Jarvie, 2017). The law thrives on the assumption that most of the lawbreakers in the state are illegal immigrants which is stereotypical and unproven. Texan leaders think that it is unfair and a threat to public security to release back into the community individuals who have been charged with heinous crimes. The move is meant to deter illegal immigration while at the same time ensuring proper enforcement of immigration law.
The bill has not yet been fully implemented since there is a lot of opposition towards it, especially from the Democrats. A federal court recently blocked the sanctuary ban in Texas and as such the implementation of the law was being halted for a while until the case was resolved. A federal court of appeal later ruled that the Implementation of the law should continue while legal process was still being resolved (Astor, 2018). The state is determined to appeal to have the law back in effect.
In my opinion, such a law is not necessary because the country already has proper immigration laws. The sanctuary ban makes it harder for the local law enforcement to be able to exercise their duties. First of all, it cripples the working and operations of the police officers because most of them shall operate in fear of losing their jobs. It shall also be difficult to get witnesses and victims to corporate with law enforcement in investigations of crime. The law is also not necessary since its implementation shall result in social strife and also cancel the social progress made by the society as a whole. The society has over time struggled to beat racism, discrimination, intolerance and hate speech and such as law cancels these efforts. Also, a lot of families shall be separated therefore leading to social strife. If the present immigration laws and mechanisms have failed, the county should seek other laws and mechanisms to do so keeping in mind not to endanger the public or cause social strife.
References
Astor, M. (2018). Texas Ban on Sanctuary Cities Can Begin-Appeals Court Rules. The New York Times . Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/13/us/texas-immigration-law-sb4.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=2EA1478E12386FE788DA986DFA8402FE&gwt=pay
Barragan, J. (2017). Gov. Greg Abbott signs 'sanctuary cities' ban into law on Facebook Live. Dallas News . Retrieved from https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-politics/2017/05/07/abbott-signs-sanctuary-cities-ban-law
Johnson, C. & Simon, D. (2017). Texas governor signs bill banning sanctuary cities. CNN . Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/07/us/texas-bans-sanctuary-cities/index.html
Jarvie, J. (2017). Texas' new ban on 'sanctuary cities' could put police in jail if they fail to enforce immigration holds. Los Angeles Times . Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-sanctuary-law-20170504-story.html
