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In response to
"There are around 600,000 undocumented folks here in the Houston area. Deporting them all would destroy the city."
by
Qale
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Dispite assumptions otherwise, Houston is not really a 'sanctuary city.'
Posted by
Qale (aka Qale)
Nov 20 '24, 14:10
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Assertions about deportations and security threats could bring attention back to the county’s participation in ICE’s 287(g) program, which allows local jailers to check the immigration status of people arrested and flag them to federal authorities.
Five Houston-area counties — Chambers, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller — participate in 287(g). Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez pulled out of the program in 2017, saying there were better, less costly uses for the 10 deputies trained to do the immigration checks.
This week however, sheriff’s office officials downplayed the idea that not participating in the program put it in opposition with ICE.
ICE agents visit Harris County jail almost daily, and are able to access jail records to conduct their own immigration checks, said Jason Spencer, the agency’s chief of staff. The jail honors ICE’s request to hold inmates suspected of being in the country illegally, Spencer said.
Last year, around 3,600 people were transferred into ICE custody after leaving the jail, Spencer said. About the same number are in line to be transferred this year.
Officials also noted that the extent they could resist a request for aid in federal immigration operations could be limited by state law.
Senate Bill 4, which was passed in 2023 and briefly went into effect in March, bans Texas cities and police agencies from adopting a policy that “prohibits or discourages the enforcement of immigration laws.” Under the law, agencies can’t discourage their officers from inquiring about a person’s immigration status or sending that information to ICE.
The law also makes it a crime to enter the state from Mexico without permission, allowing any law enforcement officer in Texas to arrest migrants they suspect of doing so and empowering judges to order their removal.
Senate Bill 4 was blocked by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in March, amid lawsuits by the Justice Department and private groups challenging its constitutionality.
The appeals court heard arguments about SB4 in April, but hasn’t made a final decision on whether to uphold the law.
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