El Paso bracing for potential change as “santuary cities” bill nears governor’s desk

As the controversial Texas “sanctuary cities” bill inches closer to the governor’s desk, El Paso city officials are bracing for potential changes.

City reps and the mayor were given an update at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Should the legislation become law cities, counties and universities will not be able to stop authorities from asking about a person’s immigration status, or enforcing immigration laws.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said he fears the potential impact on the city.

“We want to treat all citizens equal and that’s important to us. And it’s very important to me that we treat everybody equal in El Paso. When you talk about this, police officers really become spread out more than they are today, it creates a problem for us,” Leeser said.

Council member Lily Limon shared her concern and questioned what the financial impact could be for the city.

“With the limited officers we have, we are compounding the work that they are doing. On top of that, they would probably in all likelihood need to be trained if they are going to become immigration officers.” Limon said. “I wonder if that is something that is going to have to be added to their contracts, to their bargaining contract? I mean I can just see all sorts of issues.”

Limon asked deputy city manager, Dr. Mark Sutter, if the city is considering the sanctuary cities bill as budget season nears.

“We are not specifically multiplying anything in, but we are trying to keep track of all the developments,” Sutter said. “We are not making assumptions about, but we are trying to track what is happening and adjusting as we go along.”

Rep. Emma Acosta expressed concern about potential fines and penalties.

El Paso City Council and the mayor recently passed a resolution denouncing the sanctuary cities bill. Mayor Leeser pointed out El Paso is not considered a sanctuary city.

“We do believe in treating people with dignity and respect. And that’s really important that we continue to talk about that. Our obligations as council members and mayor of the city is safety to our citizens. All of the citizens,” Lesser said.