These states have banned sanctuary cities

Texas isn’t the first state to ban sanctuary cities. And it might not be the last.

More than 80 bills related to so-called sanctuary policies are pending across the country, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

That’s because a controversial question is increasingly becoming a political lightning rod: Can local governments limit their cooperation with the feds when it comes to immigration enforcement?

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have answered with a resounding no, vowing to strip funding from sanctuary cities. Some local governments have fired back with lawsuits and maintained that they won’t go out of their way to help an immigration crackdown that puts members of their communities at risk.

While the case makes its way through the courts, political battles over the matter are playing out in state legislatures across the country.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill banning sanctuary cities in his state on Sunday.

Here’s a look at other states that have passed measures banning sanctuary cities, and states that are weighing whether to take similar steps:

Mississippi

There aren’t currently any sanctuary cities in Mississippi, but that didn’t stop state lawmakers from approving a ban on them in 2017.

The measure blocks counties, cities and colleges “from creating, planning, implementing, assisting, participating in, or enabling a sanctuary policy.”

North Carolina

Lawmakers in this Southern state passed a ban on sanctuary cities well before Trump took office. Then-Gov. Pat McCrory signed the measure back in 2015.

The state’s House of Representatives approved a bill in April that would allow residents to file suit if they feel their local government isn’t complying with immigration laws, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. But the measure hasn’t yet cleared the state Senate.

Alabama

The state’s controversial 2011 law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, HB 56, also included a ban on sanctuary cities.

Now lawmakers there are weighing a ban on sanctuary policies at public colleges and universities, according to a report from the Institute for Southern Studies.

South Carolina

Courts struck down most of South Carolina’s 2011 immigration law.

But some of it remains on the books, including a part that says no local entity can restrict the enforcement of federal immigration laws, the institute says.

Georgia

In 2009, Georgia passed a law banning sanctuary cities.

And to comply with state budget requirements this year, South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division compiled a massive trove of paperwork verifying that local governments and police agencies weren’t violating the state’s immigration-related laws.

Tennessee

The state passed a ban on sanctuary cities in 2009. Lawmakers doubled down with another such measure in 2018.

There aren’t officially any sanctuary cities in the state, according to The Tennessean. But state Sen. Mark Green told the newspaper he’s worried that some local governments are picking and choosing which laws they enforce.

Other states weighing sanctuary bans

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in addition to the states detailed above, at least 20 states are weighing measures against sanctuary policies:

Alaska

Arkansas

Colorado

Florida

Iowa

Kansas

Louisiana

Maine

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Montana

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

Ohio

Oklahoma

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

CNN’s Toby Lyles contributed to this report.