The Texas House State Affairs Committee will host a hearing on Thursday afternoon on the topic of “undocumented immigrants” but will only hear testimony from invited speakers.
Chairman Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) has called a meeting of the powerful State Affairs Committee of the Texas House to address the interim charge from House Speaker Joe Straus on the issue of sanctuary cities. The meeting notice states the committee will “Examine state and local laws applicable to undocumented immigrants throughout the State of Texas and analyze the effects of those laws in conjunction with federal immigration laws and the policies and practices followed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” The meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The notice then states “INVITED TESTIMONY ONLY.” The note was printed bold and underlined in the copy obtained by Breitbart Texas.
The committee hearing will be live streamed on the Texas House website.
Grassroots leaders responded to the announced hearing and the “invited testimony only” statement in the announcement. “Chairman Cook has consistently killed legislation important to public safety and national security,” said Grassroots America – We the People Executive Director JoAnn Fleming. “A reliable ally for the cheap labor lobby, Cook has for years stopped key bills in his committee – legislation that would have long ago ended dangerous sanctuary city policies.”
“Now that we’re faced with the reality of terrorists crossing over our unsecured borders, coming in on legal visas, and even being homegrown terrorist converts, ending sanctuary city policies in Texas is a matter of great urgency,” Fleming added.
Mary and Dale Huls who serve as president and board member respectively of the Clear Lake Tea Party added, “Sanctuary cities have been a legislative issue since 2011, yet former Governor Perry, Governor Abbott, and significant Republican legislative majorities have done nothing but ‘study’ the problem. They are happy to campaign and fundraise on ending sanctuary cities, but they do nothing to stop these dangerous policies.”
“Thursday’s hearing simply kicks the can down the road, allowing Republicans two more years of inaction,” they added. “With the federal resettlement of un-vetted Syrian refugees in Texas and an unsecured southern border, when will Republicans like Gov. Abbott, Speaker Straus, and Rep. Byron Cook quit campaigning on these issues and actually start solving them?”
Jim Gibson, executive vice president and media liason of Texas Border Volunteers added, “Citizens don’t get to choose which laws we will follow and which ones we won’t. Likewise, city leaders and local police departments should not get to choose which laws they will enforce and which ones they will ignore in the name of political expediency. By not working with ICE and thus permitting illegal aliens to find refuge, these public servants are rewriting federal law as they see fit.”
“Surely, with the technology available today, an effective working relationship between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies can be established to identify and deport those that have knowingly violated our immigration laws,” Gibson concluded. “The hard-working, law abiding citizens of Texas deserve no less.”
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.