According to a press release from the governor's office, the legislation signed would ban sanctuary cities in the state of Texas, and would require both local government and law enforcement to comply with federal immigration laws.
The sanctuary city ban was a top priority that Abbott has deemed a legislative emergency.
In a statement, Abbott said, "As Governor, my top priority is public safety, and this bill furthers that objective by keeping dangerous criminals off our streets."
WATCH Facebook Live video: Greg Abbott announces new legislation banning sanctuary cities
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs ban on sanctuary city into law
The new legislation comes with legal consequences for those who don't comply with the law. Some of those consequences include:
- A civil penalty for entities in violation of the law of up to $25,500 for each day of the violation.
- A class A misdemeanor for a sheriff, chief of police, or constable who fails to comply with federal immigration detainer requests
- Removal from office for any elected or appointed official who does not comply with the law.
"We all support legal immigration. It helped build America and Texas," Abbott said during the live stream on Facebook. "But legal immigration is different from harboring people who have committed dangerous crimes. This law cracks down on policies like the Travis County sheriff who declared that she would not detain known criminals accused of violent crimes."
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