Austin is declaring war on immigration enforcement. The city wants a law barring its police from helping ICE, even though its own lawyers concede Texas banned exactly that in 2017. So the city paid a "human rights consulting group" $75,000 to tell the city to pass the ordinance anyway and commit taxpayer money to fighting the state when it sues. Meanwhile, council approved another $854,872 for immigration contracts to assist migrants, pushing their combined ceilings to $6.68 million. A city commission then voted 7-0 to ask council to "reaffirm the separation" between APD and ICE, fund new legal aid clinics, expand "Know Your Rights" training for migrants, require reporting whenever city resources touch federal immigration authorities, and formally ask the federal government to stop ICE operations in Austin. On Monday, a second commission takes up the same request and discusses emergency relief for families separated by detention. Last year it voted 10-0 for a fund handing cash grants for rent, utilities and food to families whose breadwinner is detained or deported. Austin is building a full-service government for people the federal government is trying to deport, and sending the bill to taxpayers.