Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds says he will abide by federal and state laws and presidential executive orders if asked by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assist with the arrest and incarceration of immigrants lacking permanent legal status.
Comal County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) also will allow arrestees to be detained in county jail.
“If there is communication/outreach for assistance for investigations or arrests, we would assist as-needed and availability,” he said in an email. “Usually, during the plans for such law enforcement actions like this they have predetermined where the detainees will be taken. If they needed to utilize the Comal County Jail, we can/would accommodate this request until such time final disposition is made.”
Comal County spokesperson Cary Zayas did not immediately respond to a request for information about how local officials would respond to the potential roundup and arrests of undocumented immigrants in Canyon Lake or New Braunfels.
Pct. 4 Commissioner Jen Crownover, past president of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, said members share “some collective relief that the spigot is being turned off, and that counties will not be strapped with the endless cost of additional law enforcement, jail stays, indigent defense, indigent healthcare, etc., that has fallen on the local property taxpayers to cover.”
The Texas Tribune reports ICE, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive collaborated on “enhanced targeted operations” in Austin and San Antonio Sunday.
San Antonio Police Department issued a statement saying officers will not detain a person on suspicion of being “an illegal immigrant.”
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he has not been asked to participate in any raids with ICE but like Reynolds would obey the law and help if needed.
“Obviously, we’re going to cooperate with the law but we also still have to bear in mind that racial profiling is still illegal, right?” he said at a press conference last week. “We can’t. This is not just a matter of who the president is. We don’t just have carte blanche to go tell first responders to go forth and go find people of color and place them under arrest.”
Last week the Trump administration eliminated a policy prohibiting arrests at schools, hospitals and churches.
Schools
Neither Comal ISD nor New Braunfels ISD would say how much they would protect students and parents in the event of federal immigration enforcement.
Sylvia Wood, division director for Communications and Content with the Texas Association of School Boards, declined to comment but did not rule out the possibility of future statements.
Hospitals
CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital in New Braunfels will follow guidance from the Catholic Health Association of the United States, Christus Health Public Relations Manager Goria Madera said in an email.
However, on its website, CHA did not offer specifics about how undocumented immigrants might be treated if ICE shows up at Catholic hospitals like the one in New Braunfels.
“We recognize the need for just immigration enforcement and affirm the government’s obligation to carry it out in a targeted, proportional and humane way,” said co-signers Bishop Mark Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration; Sister Mary Haddad, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States; and Kerry Alys Robinson said in a joint statement.
“…Our organizations stand ready to work on a better path forward that protects the dignity of all those we serve, upholds the sacred duty of our providers, and ensures our borders and immigration system are governed with mercy and justice.”
A spokesperson for Resolute Baptist Hospital at Creekside said the Baptist Health System would not comment on the lifting of the the 13-year-old policy protecting “sensitive spaces.”
“There’s not any information to be released as we do not comment on these types of issues,” said Natalie Gutierrez, manager of Operations, Communications and Public Relations.
Churches
None of the three Canyon Lake three churches asked for comment on the Trump administration’s new policy responded to MyCanyonLake.com.
However, the Archdiocese of San Antonio, which represents St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Canyon Lake, said Catholic bishops will continue to work with government officials to implement policies that recognize the dignity of every person and address the “root causes” of forced migration.
Catholics have a right to celebrate Mass and receive the sacraments without harassment or intimidation, the archdiocese said on its website.
“While an emphasis on anti-trafficking is welcomed, several of the executive orders signed by President Trump this week are specifically intended to eviscerate humanitarian protections enshrined in federal law and undermine due process, subjecting vulnerable families and children to grave danger.”
The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, representing St. Francis by the Lake, declined to comment.
ACLU of Texas
David Donatti, senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said Trump’s threats to invade schools and hospitals violate federal laws.
“They are nothing more than an illegal and inflammatory press release,” he said. “We are disappointed that this new administration continues to leverage its bully pulpit to strike fear in our communities.
“Executing immigration raids in schools, hospitals, places of worship, weddings, and funerals, violates people’s human and civil rights, threatens collective safety, and subjects all of us to nonstop surveillance and disruption. These places provide essential services to us all, and they are no place for civil immigration enforcement.”
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include information from Commissioner Crownover.
If you don’t enforce the law why bother have it?