The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest Friday supporting Texas in a case in which localities have sued the state over a law punishing sanctuary cities.
Texas’ Senate Bill 4 punishes local officials that refuse to comply with federal immigration detainers and forbids localities from creating laws to deny federal officials immigration information. The law also allows state and local law enforcement to ask about the immigration status of individuals they have arrested or detained.
“President Trump has made a commitment to keep America safe and to ensure cooperation with federal immigration laws,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “Texas has admirably followed his lead by mandating state-wide cooperation with federal immigration laws that require the removal of illegal aliens who have committed crimes. ”
Local cities have sued Texas over this law claiming that it is unconstitutional and will lead to racial profiling. The DOJ’s statement of interest states that the law is not in violation of the Constitution and that it marks an “important decision” to boost necessary cooperation with state and local governments.
Sessions said: “The Department of Justice fully supports Texas’s effort and is participating in this lawsuit because of the strong federal interest in facilitating the state and local cooperation that is critical in enforcing our nation’s immigration laws.”
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