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Sugar Land, TX Immigration Policy: Sanctuary Policy Preemption (2026)

Heavy Restrictions

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Key Facts

Governing law: Gov Code Chapter 752
Enacting bill: SB 4 (2017)
Detainer requests: Must be honored
First-violation penalty: $1,000 to $1,500
Removal from office: Available remedy

Texas state rule: Sugar Land does not have a local ordinance for sanctuary policy preemption. This topic is governed by Texas state law and applies uniformly across the state.

Summary

Texas Government Code Chapter 752, enacted by Senate Bill 4 in 2017, prohibits any local entity, campus police department, or jail from adopting sanctuary policies. Local officials must honor federal immigration detainer requests and may not bar officers from inquiring about immigration status.

Full Breakdown

Government Code Chapter 752 forbids local entities and campus police departments from limiting enforcement of immigration laws, prohibiting officers from asking about immigration status, or refusing to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests. Sheriffs, chiefs, and constables who knowingly fail to comply face removal from office under Local Government Code Chapter 87. The Attorney General may seek civil penalties of $1,000 to $1,500 for a first violation and up to $25,500 per day for subsequent violations. The U.S. Fifth Circuit largely upheld SB 4 in City of El Cenizo v. Texas (2018). Local jurisdictions cannot opt out.

Violations & Fines

First-violation civil penalties run $1,000 to $1,500; subsequent violations up to $25,500 per day. Officials who knowingly violate also face removal from office and Class A misdemeanor charges under Penal Code 39.07.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Texas city declare itself a sanctuary city?

No. Government Code Chapter 752, enacted by SB 4, expressly prohibits Texas local entities from adopting sanctuary policies, refusing ICE detainers, or barring officers from asking about immigration status, with civil penalties and removal from office for violations.

Does SB 4 require local police to ask about immigration status?

It does not require asking, but it forbids any policy that prohibits officers from inquiring about a lawfully detained person's immigration status or from sharing that information with federal authorities, including ICE and CBP.

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Sugar Land, TX Immigration Policy: Sanctuary Policy Preemption (2026)

Key Facts

Summary

Full Breakdown

Violations & Fines

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & Official References

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