April 08, 2019 - 9:05 PM
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Latest on a proposal to ban "sanctuary cities" in Arkansas and cut off their funding (all times local):
6:15 p.m.
A proposal to ban "sanctuary cities" in Arkansas and to cut off their funding has failed before a House panel.
The proposal to prohibit cities from refusing to co-operate with federal immigration authorities failed before the House City, County and Local Affairs Committee Monday on a 9-5 vote. The measure needed 10 votes to advance to the full House. The Senate-backed measure would also have prohibited cities from preventing local law enforcement from asking about someone's citizenship or immigration status.
The vote came after Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he wanted a change in the legislation to ensure there wasn't an opportunity for racial profiling.
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This update has been corrected to show that the vote was 9-5, not 9-4, and that the bill needed 10 votes to advance, not 11.
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12:38 p.m.
Arkansas' Republican governor says he wants a change to legislation that would cut off funding to "sanctuary cities" to ensure that there isn't an opportunity for racial profiling.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday said he's generally supportive of the Senate-backed bill prohibiting cities from refusing to co-operate with federal immigration authorities. The measure also would prohibit cities from preventing local law enforcement from asking about someone's citizenship or immigration status.
Hutchinson said he's asked the bill's sponsor for an amendment requiring probable cause before law enforcement can inquire about citizenship or immigration status. Without that change, Hutchinson says there's too much opportunity for racial profiling.
The Arkansas Municipal League, which opposes the legislation, says it is not aware of any sanctuary cities in Arkansas.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019