As the U.S. government and the Texas Legislature consider penalizing so-called "sanctuary cities" for undocumented immigrants, Mayor Sylvester Turner insists that Houston "will continue to be a welcoming city."

On Tuesday, the Texas Legislature approved Senate Bill 4, which would defund cities that do not comply with detention requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Gov. Greg Abbott has called the bill one of his priorities.

An executive order signed by President Trump in January would also cut federal money to "sanctuary cities" if local law enforcement agencies do not comply with U.S. immigration requests.

It's not clear whether either measure could be enforced or would pass court scrutiny. Nor is there a clear definition of "sanctuary city." By some definitions, Houston qualifies as one, but not by others.

The stakes could be high. According to the Houston's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city receives $255 million in federal funds and $13 million in state funds.

Chronicle reporter Olivia Tallet spoke recently with Mayor Turner.

In your opinion, what are the chances that SB 4 will be approved?

There has always been a sanctuary bill filed probably in the last five sessions, but no one has ever passed the Texas Legislature. This time, there is more pressure on the members to vote to pass a sanctuary bill.

In the Texas House, I know, they will be fighting very hard not to pass a sanctuary bill. It has never passed out the Texas House under Speaker (Joe) Straus. Still, the governor is supporting it; this time it may be a real possibility that it comes out.

(Editor's note: A "sanctuary city" bill passed the House in 2011 under Speaker Straus but did not become a law.)

What happens to the City of Houston if the bill passes?

The question would be what would be the substance of that bill. I have always said that we are a welcoming city; that we embrace every one. One out of four in this county is foreign born. The Houston Police Department is not going to be ICE or INS. So that's not going to happen. In my administration, it's not going to happen.

What about the executive order signed by President Trump?

It is somewhat ambiguous in its definition of what is a sanctuary city. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that law enforcement cannot stop someone on a pretense to determine whether or not a person is legally or illegally in the U.S. Houston police officer cannot look at someone and say, "Oh, I think this person may be here illegally here, so I am going to stop and interrogate this person." That is not going to happen.

Also, if the sanctuary bill comes out of the Legislature, I doubt that they could [ignore] what the Supreme Court has outlined as the law of the land, so it doesn't really change the status quo.

But there is always a risk that some police officers could profile people and stop them with some pretext...

HPD, under my administration, as long as I am mayor, is not going to profile people. Period.

Regardless of what the legislation may be, the Houston Police Department is not going to profile people. We are not going to be ICE. Period. End of discussion. It's not going to happen, irrespective of what the legislature or anybody else may say.

We are going to follow the dictates of the United States Supreme Court.

Let's supposed that the Texas bill passes, and the president's executive action is fully implemented. What happens to undocumented immigrants if they are detained?

In Houston, if they have not committed any crime, the police will not stop them to determine their status. But let's assume that this person has robbed a bank, they are arrested, and it's determined that that person is illegally here. If you commit a felony, a serious crime, then you go through the process to determine if the person is here illegally. That person, yes, is turned over to ICE, but that is a felony.

But let's say this other person is stopped for running the red light. Citation is probably given or it's a misdemeanor. Then no, you don't go through all that. If that person is illegally here, it doesn't matter: That is a misdemeanor.

In New York, it's very similar. So is in L.A. and other cities.

What if the city is defunded by the federal or state government?

We are going to continue to operate as we have operated, and we will continue to be a welcoming city. We do not separate families. We place a great deal of value on families being together. I don't want children in schools to be concerned or nervous. I don't want to increase the anxiety of people in our city and especially our kids.

We have heard from the federal government and the state legislature, and a lot of it has been challenged in our federal court. At this point there are several courts across our land that, even as it relates to the administration's so-called ban, the courts have said that it's unconstitutional. With respect to the administration executive order, it is highly ambiguous and very difficult to enforce.

There is a lot of verbiage and talk, but that is not a reality, and it's highly unlikely that it will become a reality.

Why do you think the City of Houston should keep the current status quo?

Because this is who this city is; this is who we are. We are a city of immigrants.

Let me start by saying that I think that what we need to be doing is a comprehensive immigration policy. That would help to clarify a lot. If anything, Congress and the administration should be working on a comprehensive immigration policy. That is number one. Short of that, it´s very difficult to do it in this piecemeal; it creates a lot of confusion and anxiety.

One things that has worked well for us is that people know that in this city we value diversity. We work very hard for inclusion. If we look at the top administrators, the people in power in the city of Houston, you have myself, an African-American. You have Chief [Art] Acevedo as police chief. You have Chief [Samuel] Peña as chief of the Fire Department. You have Juliet Stipeche in charge of education for the city. [Editor's note: Acevedo, Peña and Stipeche are all Latinos.]

I cannot think of any other city that is more diverse and inclusive than we have been. What I have tried to do is to demonstrate what my philosophy is and the value that I place on diversity by appointing people that are diverse.

Has the city already been under pressure to take measures against undocumented immigrants?

I haven't received any major pushback. I am sure not everybody agrees with my positions. But the positions that we are taking are the right positions for us to take. The business community, by large, supports the positions that I have taken.

Mi casa es su casa. I like seeing people feeling good about being in our city. Houston is a great city, and we place a premium on our diversity. From those who run the city — from those who run for example HISD, Superintendent [Richard] Carranza — we have all stood together and made it very clear that we are moving forward and we are embracing the people in our city.

There is no reason for people to have fear or anxiety. We're going to continue to work to be even more inclusive in how we address the concerns. Things will happen on the federal level, and things will happen on the state level. There is going to be a lot of dialogue and debate, but as far as the City of Houston — we are the fourth-largest city, soon to be the third; we are the most diverse city in the country; and I think that people can find a great deal of confidence in the leadership and those who are making key decisions in the city.

We need to be concerned with everything that has been said. Suddenly we have to be concerned with the actions and words that are coming out of D.C. We have to be concerned with the actions coming out of the state of Texas. I am concerned about that.

But in many ways, I can control what takes place in the city. This is our home, and as long as I am the mayor of the city, this is our home, and you're welcome in this home.

Olivia.Tallet@chron.com

Twitter: @oliviaptallet