The nation’s harshest law targeting sanctuary cities won’t go into effect—for now.
By Julianne Hing, The Nation
August 31, 2017
Immigrants won a major victory Wednesday night when a federal judge blocked Texas’s SB 4, the nation’s harshest anti–sanctuary cities state law, from being implemented. In his 94-page order, US District Judge Orlando Garcia issued a preliminary injunction of key parts of the law, preventing them from going into effect while the legal challenge winds its way through the courts. As the worst of Harvey was bearing down on Texas this week, fears about the coming implementation of SB 4 fed undocumented immigrants’ apprehension about seeking help during the storm. On Monday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pledged to personally represent any person who was turned over to immigration authorities while seeking help during Harvey. “I and others will be the first ones to stand with you,” Turner said. “I don’t care what your status is. I do not want you to run the risk of losing your life or a family member because you’re concerned about SB 4 or anything else.” Despite his assurances, rumors that the City would check people’s immigration statuses at shelters continued to spread, and the City had to repeatedly quash them.[…]
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https://www.thenation.com/article/texass-virulently-anti-immigrant-sb-4-was-just-blocked-by-a-federal-judge/