September 26, 2017

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 VOLUME 107 ISSUE 05

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911

www.UniversityStar.com

Q&A Meet City Council candidates By Shayan Faradineh News Editor @shayanfaradineh Place 3 and Place 4 for the City Council of San Marcos are up for election on Nov. 7. The Honors College is holding a registration drive in Lampasas in celebration of National Voter Day on Sept. 26. Meanwhile, Oct. 10 is the last day to register to vote and Oct. 23 begins early voting through election day. City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of each month, 5:30 p.m., at City Hall located at 630 E. Hopkins. Election locations can be found on the City of San Marcos website. QUESTIONS: 1. What qualifies you to gain student support? 2. If elected, what would be your priorities for students at Texas State? 3. What could City Council do to create opportunities in San Marcos, post-graduation?

TEXAS TRIBUNE FESTIVAL B

Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Cruz sit down to discuss policy after Harvey

By Shayan Faradineh News Editor |@shayanfaradineh

SEE ANSWERS PAGE 2

Politicians discuss climate change after Harvey By Bri Watkins Managing Editor @briwatkins17 After the devastation of Hurricane Harvey that surged through Houston, politicians were forced to grapple with the question of what this storm, the first in a series of back-toback hurricanes, means for climate change. Over the weekend, the annual Texas Tribune Festival facilitated discussions on the problems of state leadership and its denial of global warming. Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz expressed their ideas concerning the impact of climate change. Cornyn believes humans play a role in climate change, but he believes government should not suppress economic activity. His hope is in the inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs to provide a solution. “I trust our ability given the proper research to come up with solutions that help us solve the problem,” Cornyn said. “We’ve done a lot just with the advent of using more natural gas and our renewables in Texas, and we are the number one electricity producer from wind.” Cruz, who is the son of two mathematicians and the chairman of the state commerce subcommittee of science and space, relies on statistical data to base the premise of his belief. He denies the evidence of natural disasters is due to global warming. “We have had a 14-year hiatus of hurricanes making landfall in the United States. So historically, right now we are in a low period for hurricanes,” Cruz said. “We just had a couple of really bad ones back-toback, but if you look back at the history of hurricanes, you would have to go back a really long time to find the last major hurricane that has made landfall.”

SEE CLIMATE PAGE 2

(TOP) U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz share a rare joint discussion on stage Sept. 24 during the annual Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. (BOTTOM) Protesters stand at the back of Hogg’s auditorium Sept. 24 shouting “Pass Dream Act” at U.S Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz during the annual Texas Tribune Festival on the UT campus. PHOTOS BY BRI WATKINS | MANAGING EDITOR

I think President Obama, I believe, inappropriately tried to do this on his own because he became frustrated with the slow pace of Congress.”

oth senators from the Texas delegation sat down for a conversation with Evan Smith, CEO of Texas Tribune, at the 7th Annual Texas Tribune Festival. Smith, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn discussed clime change, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, reelections, healthcare, the Trump administration and Hurricane Harvey. The keynote began with Cornyn and Cruz reflecting on Harvey, discussing the more than $15 billion relief bill that Trump signed Sept. 8. After discussing the cost and relief plans, Smith challenged the Republican senators, asking if the United States still has money for the wall. After debating the different ways of paying for the wall, Smith challenged the republican ideology of climate change. “Sen. Cornyn, are you and Sen. Cruz prepared after this hurricane to have a different conversation about climate change?” Smith asked. Cornyn replied, clarifying his stance on the issue. He said he was open to what science proves and believes that humans impact the climate, but asked whether to have government intervene on the private sector. Cruz took a different position, he said that hurricanes have existed since the dawn of time and there will continue to be hurricanes. He claimed democrats and leftist have used arguments like climate change to try to seize control of people’s lives.

-Sen . Cornyn

SEE FESTIVAL PAGE 3

SANCTUARY CITIES

The fight over sanctuary cities isn’t over By Connor Brown Assistant News Editor @Connor_Brown1 A four-person panel consisting of lawmakers and lobbyists gathered at the University of Texas campus Saturday, Sept. 4, to discuss the implications of one of the most contentious pieces of legislation this past session, Senate Bill 4. After U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia halted the implementation of SB 4 last month, a day before the bill would become a law, republican lawmakers appealed the ruling to a three-judge panel at the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. While the timeline for the state’s potential implementation of the law is uncertain, the topic still remains a polarizing issue for many lawmakers. Matt Schaefer, Republican representative of Texas House District 143, said the bill is still necessary. “Our patrolmen need all tools at their disposal to ensure public safety and uphold the law,” Schaefer said.“They (the media) have given the narrative that SB 4 created a new power for law enforcement, but it didn’t.” During the debate over SB 4 on the House floor, Schaeffer proposed an amendment that would allow law enforcement to ask people about immigration status during an arrest or lawful detention, such as a traffic stop, making the bill stronger than the original pro-

posal that was brought to the House floor. To the dismay of many Texas Democrats, Schaeffer’s proposal was accepted. Charlie Wilkinson, the executive director of Combined Law Enforcement Agencies in Texas, expressed concern over officer safety if SB 4 were to be implemented. “Now the first question you ask them is one that could separate them from their home, their job, their family,” Wilkinson said. “They’re either going to fight, or they’re going to run. Both options create a public safety crisis.” When asked how lawmakers balance backing law enforcement while voting for legislation that many law enforcement officials are opposed to, Dawn Buckingham, a Republican representing Texas Senate District 24, said many Texas sheriffs were in support of the bill. “First of all it is voluntary for officers to ask,” Buckingham said. “We think it helps law enforcement do a better job, and I will tell you that the sheriffs who run the county jails were all for it.” Several sheriffs across Texas, including Travis County’s Sally Hernandez, have been publically opposed to such legislation for fear that requiring officers to ask about immigration status would strain relations between officers and their communities. The potential for campus police reporting immigration status of undocumented students was also mentioned

“They’re either going to fight, or they’re going to run. Both options create a public safety crisis.” - CHARLIE WILKINSON during the panel discussion, in which Ana Hernandez, Democratic representative of Texas House District 143, expressed her concern over campus safety. “I think just like we excluded public schools, we should’ve excluded campus police from questioning immigration status,” Hernandez said. “Any witness that is involved in a law enforcement investigation is also subject to being asked their immigration status, and I think that makes our campuses less safe.” Wilkinson challenged Hernandez by explaining the damage of political pressure on these types of pressing issues. “You’re playing political football with a very serious issue,” Wilkinson said. “I think just as political pressure came to Sheriff Hernandez, the pressure is going to go the other direction too. You’re going to have public officials like the 254 county sheriffs and they are going to react politically in their Republican primary, so we’ve politicized something that is much more serious than that.”


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