Last summer the Texas GOP met to set the party platform for 2010. One of the more contentious issues highlighted at the Texas Republican Convention was immigration reform, but now some Republicans are making the issue a top priority.
On Monday, Houston area State rep. Debbie Riddle (R – District 150) filed a batch of legislation for the upcoming session of the Texas legislature which mirrors the Republican Party platform. The proposed legislation includes
- allowing state and local police officers to arrest suspected illegal aliens for the offense of "Criminal Trespass by Illegal Alien." HB 17
- banning "sanctuary city" policies described by the bill as a city which creates any "rule, order, ordinance, or policy under which the entity will not fully enforce laws relating to… Immigrants or immigration, including the federal Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.)" and requiring the city to return any unspent money given by the state. HB 18
- requiring state agencies (including school districts) to report the financial effect of providing services to persons who were not lawfully present in the United States HB 21
- requiring public schools to determine the citizenship and immigration status of each student during enrollment in the school. HB 22
Most of Riddle’s proposals do not create new mandates so much as require reporting, enforcement and penalization related to existing laws being broken.
Though Riddle was the first to file her bills, she is hardly alone. Joining her are Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Carrollton whose HB 177 requires proof of citizenship or legal presence in the United States to obtain a driver’s license, Rep. Dan Flynn whose HB 81 bans state agencies from using public money to print public documents in any language other than English and a number of other state legislators with bills banning sanctuary cities and requiring employers to verify immigration status of prospective employees.
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