‘Sanctuary city’ issue surfaces in race for League City mayor
Candidate wants to address how illegal immigrants are handled by police
— Houston Chronicle2
With less than two weeks remaining until League City’s mayoral runoff, the focus of the race has shifted to the city’s stance on illegal immigration.
When an illegal immigrant is arrested in League City for a Class B misdemeanor or above, the police department contacts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the person is then transported to the Galveston County jail, assistant police chief Gary Ratliff said. The city also contacts immigration officials for illegal immigrants arrested on a Class C misdemeanor, but if they don’t have an outstanding warrant, they are released after the charge has been resolved, he said.
The practice is standard procedure, but is not a written policy, Ratliff said.
If elected, Chris Mallios said he would push for an ordinance that establishes that League City is not a “sanctuary city.” He would like it to address how the city’s police department should handle the arrests of illegal immigrants.
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Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
