Sanctuary Cities Law to Be Focus at National Gathering of Latino Leaders in Dallas

About 1,000 Latino elected officials from around the country will descend on Dallas next month for an annual national conference to discuss issues affecting Latinos nationwide.But this year, the gathering will have among its top issues for discussion a hot-button topic that is very personal to Texas Latinos: the anti-sanctuary city bill, SB4, passed by the state Legislature three weeks ago. The bill allows law enforcement officials to ask anyone they detain about their immigration status.Numerous Latino community organizations, law enforcement agencies and church groups in Texas came out opposed to the bill, to no avail.Now, it's time to talk about strategies, said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials."We want to have someone from California and someone from Arizona to put SB4 in a larger context as to what's happening around the country," Vargas said this week on a visit to Dallas."What have been the strategies to turn around those movements in those states, and are they applicable to Texas or not?"  Continue reading...