(Austin, TX) — Today, Governor Perry announced the addition of Sanctuary Cities to the First Called Session, 82nd Legislature. Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa released the following statement.

"I am disappointed that Governor Perry added Sanctuary Cities to the special session call.

"We need to focus on good public policy like the version of Secure Communities the Senate approved during regular session. Secure Communities focuses on criminals - undocumented individuals who commit crimes. Sanctuary Cities is a proposal that discriminates against the Latino community here in Texas - the majority of which is in this country legally.

"The fact is that not even our law enforcement organizations support the proposed Sanctuary Cities legislation. They understand it will draw on their already scarce resources and manpower. They also understand that Sanctuary Cities will make it less likely that undocumented individuals will cooperate with the police - this can jeopardize our security.

"We shouldn't be harassing law-abiding Hispanics just because they look Mexican. More to the point, Sanctuary Cities is a made-up issue - it's a solution looking for a problem."

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