HOUSTON – The Texas Senate passed a proposal on Tuesday requiring local law enforcement, and sheriffs, to cooperate with immigration agents.
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Senate Bill 8, filed by Republican State Senator Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, would require sheriffs in counties with populations greater than 100,000 to enter into a written agreement with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enforce federal immigration law.
It can then train deputies and jailers on how to identify and apprehend undocumented immigrants
This is just the first step in the process, but a priority made by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
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Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has previously been vocal about not supporting programs that detained undocumented immigrants.
Back in 2019, the Sheriff withdrew the department from a voluntary federal program that detained undocumented immigrants. In 2022, Gonzalez also withdrew himself from consideration to become the nation’s ICE director.
Under this new proposal, if passed, the Texas Attorney General’s Office could file a lawsuit against a sheriff if the state believes they are not complying with the law.
At this point, however, Sheriff Gonzalez has not issued a statement or response on this new proposal.
The bill passed on a 20 to 11 vote in the Senate and now heads to the Texas House of Representatives before it’s presented to the governor. If passed, the law would go into effect in September 2025.
