San Antonio Police Chief William McManus says his department will have to move to change portions of the Officers Manual in response to last night's signing of the bill outlawing 'Sanctuary Cities' and sanctuary policies, and authorizing local police officers to ask the immigration status of any individual who is detained, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"The first thing we're going to have to do from an administrative situation is we are going to have to take off the books the instruction that officers are not to ask about somebody's immigration status, so that comes off the books," he said.
He said if there were a provision like that in place when the law takes effect in September, he could face arrest and jail time.
The new law calls for officers and local law enforcement agencies to assist federal officials in enforcing immigration laws, by honoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests, and by helping identify people who are in the country illegally.
McManus says he is doing this under protest, and pointed out that all of the police agencies in Texas urged the Legislature not to pass this bill.
"In my opinion, there is nothing positive that this bill does in the community, or in law enforcement."McManus says the bill will break down the trust he has been able to accumulate among the immigrant community, many of whom come from places where police are corrupt and are instinctively not trusted.
"Just the mere fact that an officer may ask or the person understands that the officer might ask instills a level of fear in the community, which is what we didn't want to happen to begin with."
McManus said he doesn't know if his officers will ask people who are 'detained' about their immigration status, but he is not allowed to prohibit it, even though it may open up the city to lawsuits for racial profiling.
He says the 2400 San Antonio police officers have plenty on their plate, with the city's rising crime rate, and don't need to have the aggravation of new duties for another agency.
"I don't think we're going to see the feds helping us with our calls for service," he said. "I don't think they're going to be jumping into police care assisting, because we're tied up on an immigration matter."