In recent Texas legislative issues, after a long debate the Texas Senate recently passed an anti-sanctuary city bill with a 20-11 vote. The bill will next move to the Texas Senate.

State Senator Charles Perry introduced the bill, known as Senate Bill 4. If it passes, Senate Bill 4 will place sanctions on any Texas cities that act as sanctuary cities. According to Texas lobbyist and attorney Jake Posey, traditionally, sanctuary cities don't report immigrants who are in the country illegally to the federal government, leading them to be seen as safe spaces.

According to Perry, the main purpose of the bill is to ensure all cities in Texas comply with federal regulations. Additionally, Perry says the bill will target people in the United States illegally who committed crimes and were detained by the police.

If the bill passes, sanctuary cities face the following penalties:

• Loss of funds. Any local and state cities or organizations who don't enforce state and federal immigration laws will lose their funding. This includes state grants and possible civil fines.
• Prosecution. If any department heads fail to comply, the state could initiate criminal proceedings against them through charging them with a class A misdemeanor. Exceptions to this provision include individuals who witnessed or were victims of crimes, hospitals, and public schools.
• Fines against non-reporters. Any individuals or agencies in cities who violate the law would face fines for failure to report. The fines would start at $1000 for one violation and could go up to $25000 for multiple violations.