Texas Attorney General suing Houston officials for adopting unlawful ordinance violating Senate Bill 4

HOUSTON - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a lawsuit against Houston city officials for adopting an unlawful ordinance that violates Senate Bill 4, according to a release. 

Texas AG suing Houston officials for adopting unlawful ordinance that violates Senate Bill 4

What we know:

In the release, officials said under SB 4, a local entity such as the City of Houston may not adopt, enforce, or endorse a policy that prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of federal immigration laws. However, Houston adopted a city ordinance that blatantly violates this law. The recently passed unconstitutional ordinance specifically prevents Houston Police from stopping, making arrests, or continuing detention of an individual based upon an ICE administrative warrant while they are working in the field. This is an egregious affront to SB 4 and would have the clear impact of materially limiting the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Senate Bill 4 was passed during the 2017 Legislative Session, the release stated. 

The lawsuit is being filed against the City of Houston, Mayor Whitmire, city councilmembers, and a number of other defendants, according to the release. 

According to the release, Texas Attorney General Paxton’s lawsuit aims to permanently repeal the ordinance and extend legal protection to all law enforcement cooperating with federal officials to enforce immigration laws.

What they're saying:

"I will not allow any local official to push sanctuary policies that make our communities less safe," said Attorney General Paxton. "Under my watch, no Texas city will be a safe harbor for illegals. The Texas Legislature passed strong legislation that specifically stops the type of lawless ordinance that Houston adopted. Houston has no authority to ignore the Constitution and the laws duly enacted by the Legislature. I’m calling on Houston to immediately repeal this ordinance."

The Lawsuit:

You can read the full lawsuit below or mobile users can click here to view the lawsuit in full. 

The other side:

Houston Mayor John Whitmire released a statement on Thursday afternoon regarding the lawsuit saying, "I think it’s unfortunate that so much time and resources are being spent on an issue that should not be partisan. It interferes with our responsibility to keep Houston safe and protect all residents."