DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) — Governor Greg Abbott has signed a bill that bans sanctuary cities in Texas.
The governor posted a video of him signing the bill on Facebook. The law makes sheriffs, police chiefs and other local leaders subject to a misdemanor and jail time if they refuse to honor detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Abbott cited a case in San Francisco where a man who had been deported five times shot and killed a woman.
“[There are] deadly consequences to not enforcing the law,” Abbott said on the Facebook stream.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with Governor Abbott signing the bill.
Jenkins posted a series of tweets Sunday night blasting the bill, saying it undermines both the Texas economy and community trust. He says the bill will drive victims and witnesses into the shadows, and makes cities less safe by forcing law enforcement to prioritize the wrong things.
Requiring local law enforcement comply with a voluntary federal program flies in the face of local control/undermines local public safety.
— Clay Lewis Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) May 8, 2017
SB 4 "Show Me Your Papers" law blurs the line between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
— Clay Lewis Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) May 8, 2017
This undermines community trust and drives victims and witnesses into the shadows.
— Clay Lewis Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) May 8, 2017
He also tweeted that law enforcement isn’t trained properly with immigration laws, saying they receive “virtually no training” on the matter.”
