The city of El Paso is proposing the implementation of municipal ID cards for undocumented and indigent individuals in an effort to build community and enhance public safety.
Proponents of municipal ID cards have stated that the cards could potentially be beneficial to about 50,000 people in the West Texas region. Beneficiaries would include immigrants, the poor, the homeless, the elderly and others who lack the ability to acquire another form of government issued identification.
However, Governor Greg Abbot doesn’t quite see eye to eye on this issue. Last week, in response to a question that was submitted about the proposal. Gov. Abbot tweeted, “we are going to ban sanctuary city policies.”
El Paso County Commissioner David Stout, who actually did a pitch for the ID cards to the court last month, said that Gov. Abbott’s tweet was a bit shortsighted.
Stout went on to say, “I am always constantly surprised and stunned when I hear state leaders like Gov. Abbott, who on one hand decry what they view as the federal government’s overreach into state affairs … turn around and seek to interfere with affairs at the local level.”
Gov. Abbot’s office declined to make any comment about what Stout had to say or give further explanation about how the ID cards would contribute to making El Paso a “sanctuary city.”
However, it doesn’t appear that this concern materialized out of thin air. El Paso itself has expressed some concern about whether or not the ID cards would cause the city to be considered a sanctuary.
According to an analysis that was prepared by the city council, El Paso would not be considered a sanctuary city by definition. However, the concern is that state lawmakers would think otherwise.
