A federal court late Tuesday upheld most of a Texas law that bans sanctuary city policies within its state borders, and criminalizes intentionally refusing to cooperate with federal immigration officials to detain illegal aliens.
Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the victory in a tweet, saying, “Law is in effect.”
BREAKNG: Texas Ban on Sanctuary City Policies upheld by Federal Court of Appeals. Allegations of discrimination were rejected. Law is in effect.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 13, 2018
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans also ruled that police officers could legally question people about their immigration status during routine traffic stops, the New York Times reports.
The only part of the Texas law the court overturned was a provision barring elected officials from “endorsing” sanctuary city policies. While the court ruled that officials could be required to cooperate with ICE, banning them from advocating for such policies violated the First Amendment.
Several Texas cities and counties currently have sanctuary policies in effect, including Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso County.