Trump's GOP Allies in Texas Stay Mum on Threat to Move Migrants to ‘sanctuary Cities' They Represent

WASHINGTON - Much of the uproar over President Trump's threat to dump illegal migrants in sanctuary cities has centered on such places as San Francisco - a Democratic stronghold in a deep blue state.But Texas, a state run by Trump allies, also has a number of cities that Republicans accuse of resisting full cooperation with immigration authorities. None of Trump’s allies in statewide office have spoken out against his threat, or embraced it, even as Democrats universally denounce it as cynical and cruel.Gov. Greg Abbott declined requests for comment about the threat. So did Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and state Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.Sen. Ted Cruz’s office provided a statement in response to a query about whether he supports Trump’s idea. Cruz took aim at sanctuary cities but sidestepped the wisdom or legality of singling them out as sites for migrants.“Senators Cornyn and Cruz need to be well aware that if Trump were to carry through on those promises we could see a refugee crisis in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio - not just in border cities,” said Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “It’s been disturbingly quiet. No Republican official in Texas has said this is a bad idea, Mr. President. Not the governor, not the lieutenant governor and not the two senators.”There is no federal definition of “sanctuary city” and the administration has not generated a list, so it’s not clear exactly where Trump might order migrants sent if he follows through on his threat.But Texas’ major cities have all been accused of resisting full cooperation with federal immigration authorities.In November, Paxton’s office sued San Antonio under a 2017 state law crafted to ban sanctuary cities in Texas, after the city’s police chief ordered the release of a dozen people found in a tractor-trailer, all suspected of being in the country illegally.  Continue reading...