May 7 (UPI) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday banned sanctuary cities in a state where none exist and in legislation opposed by every major police chief in the state.
The bill allows police to ask for the immigration status of anyone they detain and threatens sheriffs with jail time if they don’t cooperate with federal authorities.
There are no cities in Texas that have declared themselves sanctuaries for immigrants. But Republicans wanted to ensure local police help federal immigration agents crack down on criminal suspects who are in the U.S. illegally.
“Let’s face it, the reason why so many people come to America is because we are a nation of laws and Texas is doing its part to keep it that way,” Abbott said in a statement.
The new law, which takes effect on Sept. 1, allows government entities to be fined $25,500 for each day the law is violated, the governor’s office said. Elected and appointed officials who fail to comply could face removal from office.
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order stripping federal grant money from the states and cities that “harbor illegal immigrants.”
In April, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from enforcing its threat to take away funds from sanctuary cities.
Thomas Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said millions in the nation’s second most populous state will now be subjected to racial profiling and may be less willing to cooperate with police investigations.
Abbott signed the bill on Facebook Live, said spokesman John Wittman, because that’s “where most people are getting their news nowadays.”
