Sheriff’s deputies in Travis County, Texas, will not receive life-saving body armor because Sheriff Sally Hernandez has not applied for a grant that requires certifying compliance with ICE detainer requests.
Texas law enforcement officers placed more than 243,000 criminal aliens in jails across the state since 2011. Those criminal aliens were accused of nearly 650,000 state or local criminal offenses.
A Texas sheriff is actively promoting visas to the illegal immigrant community. The sheriff has prepared pamphlets advising certain illegal immigrants how they might qualify for special visas.
The anti-sanctuary city law in Texas, arguably the toughest in the country, has been incendiary and the fight to its passage has been emotional. Now, two Democrat-dominated cities in Texas are joining the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and other open border and pro-amnesty organizations to block the law.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the State’s sanctuary city bill into law Sunday night during a Facebook Live event from his office. The new law is now the toughest anti-sanctuary city law in the United States and provides for criminal and civil penalties for police chiefs and sheriffs that refuse to honor immigration detainers.
The police chiefs in six of Texas’ largest cities responded to the anti-sanctuary city bill passed by the Texas House on Thursday by signing a letter of opposition and releasing it to the press on Friday. The chiefs said the issue is one for the federal government and representatives are “pandering.”
Following Monday’s announcement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he is withholding federal law enforcement grants from sanctuary jurisdictions, a Texas sheriff quickly tried to claim this action would not apply to her county.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded to Sheriff “Sanctuary Sally” Hernandez’ promise to take a closer look at inmates subject to federal immigration detainers on Wednesday. He tweeted – “Not good enough. Must end it.”
On the same day that the Texas State Senate voted to cut funds for sanctuary cities, the commissioners court of Dallas County passed the “Welcoming Communities” resolution. Officials have voted to “end nonessential collaborations” with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Immigration Enforcement (ICE) divison.
The Texas Attorney General has issued a letter signing off on the legality of requiring governmental entities to cooperate with federal authorities when they are enforcing immigration laws. Police officers may also not be prohibited from verifying immigration status.
