Texas SB 4 (2017) bans sanctuary city policies and requires local jails to honor ICE detainers. Lubbock cooperates with federal immigration authorities and notably declared itself a Sanctuary City for the Unborn in 2021.
Texas Senate Bill 4, signed in 2017, prohibits Texas cities, counties, and universities from adopting policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Lubbock County Sheriff's Office honors ICE detainer requests, and Lubbock police can inquire about immigration status during lawful detentions. Violators of SB 4 face civil penalties up to $25,500 per day and removal from office. Separately, Lubbock voters approved a 2021 ordinance declaring the city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, banning abortion within city limits, a measure that became largely symbolic after Dobbs and Texas's trigger ban.
Local officials adopting sanctuary policies face civil penalties up to $25,500 per day, removal from office, and Class A misdemeanor charges for sheriffs ignoring ICE detainers under Texas Government Code 752.
See how Lubbock's sanctuary policy preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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