While most Texans were asleep in their beds last Thursday, the Texas House of Representatives tentatively approved a Senate bill that would make so-called “sanctuary” cities illegal in the Lone Star State.
As The Texas Tribune reports,the 93-54 vote fell along party lines. The approval came at three a.m., after 16 hours of contentious and sometimes even tearful debate.
The latest version of the bill added a controversial provision that would make it legal for police officers to detain people and question them about the status of their citizenship. Previous versions had only allowed officers to ask such questions after a person was arrested.
Democrats repeatedly put forth amendments trying to protect immigrants from being questioned at various specific locations, including domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters and pre-kindergarten schools. Each of these efforts was rejected by Republicans.
