Ft. Worth (WBAP/KLIF News) – A lawmaker from North Texas has introduced a bill that would repeal the state’s ban on “sanctuary cities.” Democrat Ramon Romero proposed the bill for the special session that starts next week.
“People are just going to go underground,” Romero says. “We are going to face it at some point, or our children are going face it. We need to get smart, and we need to address the issue.”
Romero says the issue has become too partisan.
“We’ve never been this way before,” Romero says. “Texas has appreciated its relationship with Mexico. I look back on the days with Governor Bush, and I look back with awe. That guy knew how to bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans, and he absolutely knew how to communicate with Mexico and Vicente Fox.”
This week, Harris County, the state’s most populous, declined to join a lawsuit asking for an injunction to block the law from taking effect in September. Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio have all joined the suit.
Romero acknowledges his bill is not likely to gain support during the special session. He says the measure could make undocumented immigrants afraid to work with police.
“I can’t look myself in the mirror and say I did everything I could to prevent these people from being harmed physically, mentally, their futures,” he says. “Am I confident Governor Abbot will ever sign it? Not as confident as I could be.”
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