Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed the very controversial law which has been described as the toughest bill in the country to outlaw sanctuary cities, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The measure was one of Abbott's four 'emergency priorities' for the current Legislative session, and he pointed out when he signed the bill on Facebook Live that the measure that came out of the Legislature is even stricter than the one he had proposed in his January State of the State speech.
"This law imposes penalties up to $25,000 per day, and it can lead to jail time and refusal from office for any official who refuses to comply with the ban on Sanctuary Cities," Abbott said.
The measure makes it a first degree misdemeanor, punishable by a year in jail, for any police chief, elected sheriff, college official or community leader who does not cooperate fully with Immigration officials, mainly in honoring Immigration and Customs Enforcement 'Detainer' requests. A 'detainer' is when ICE asks the operator of a jail to hold a prisoner who otherwise would have been released, so Immigration officials can take custody of the individual for deportation.
Abbott cited the case of Kate Steinle, the San Francisco woman who was murdered in 2015 by an illegal immigrant who was on probation from Texas, but was allowed to be released in defiance of an ICE detainer request.
"Kate's death was more than a murder," Abbott said. "It was gross negligence by government policy. The State of Texas will not be complicit in endangering our citizens the way Kate Steinle was in danger."
The backlash to the governor's signature was immediate. Protesters gathered shouting 'No papers, no Fear!'
“Texas has its own ‘show me your papers’ law, thanks to Governor Greg Abbott," State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin), who led the opposition to the bill, said in a statement. “SB 4 will be challenged in court - you can take that to the bank. When Governor Abbott signed SB 4 tonight, he also signed a blank check on the taxpayer's’ behalf to protect yet another blatantly discriminatory law."
Several San Antonio and Bexar County officials urged Abbott on Friday to veto the law. Police Chief William McManus said his officers are trained to concentrate on local crime, not on federal violations, and asked 'what will they ask next, that my officers check people's income tax forms?'
Dallas County Commissioner Clay Jenkins echoed the fears of local officials, saying if local police are perceived as agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, especially people who are suspicious of the police due to the corrupt nature of police forces in their home country, they will be hesitant to come forward as victims or witnesses to crime, essentially giving criminals a free hand.
"When people are afraid to call 9-1-1, they are afraid to cooperate and tell us what they have seen, because they are afraid police will ask them if their papers are in order, they will be less willing to come forward," Jenkins said. "That makes everyone less safe."
But some veteran San Antonio Police Officers dispute that opinion. They say the people who are most likely to be victimized by illegal immigrants are other illegal immigrants, and they declined to come forward out of fear of retaliation, not a concern that police will check their immigration status.
As to the threat of lawsuits, Abbott says 'bring it on.
'"Now listen," he said. "The key policies in this bill have already been tested at the United States Supreme Court, and approved there."
The new law takes effect September 1.
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