Donald Trump Immigration Plan: Texas Governor Greg Abbott Asks For Travis County ‘Sanctuary’ Policy To Be Reversed, Threatens To Cut Funding

Days after President Donald Trump took office, the Republican governor of Texas has demanded Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez reverse her department's new policy on cooperation with federal immigration authorities, in a tussle over “sanctuary cities” following Trump’s strong stand on illegal immigrants.

“This is not a pronouncement of sound public policy; it is a dangerous game of political Russian roulette — with the lives of Texans at stake,” Governor Greg Abbott wrote in a letter Monday addressed to Hernandez, in which he referred to the newly-elected sheriff’s policy as “shortsighted” and based on “frivolous” justifications.

Hernandez announced Friday her department will reduce its cooperation with federal immigration authorities when a request for an inmate to be flagged for possible deportation is presented to it. The new policy would allow the department to also continue to hold people charged with serious crimes like capital murder.

“The public must be confident that local law enforcement is focused on local public safety, not on federal immigration enforcement. Our jail cannot be perceived as a holding tank for ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] or that Travis County deputies are ICE officers,” Hernandez reportedly said at the time.

Abbott’s immediate reaction to the policy — which comes into effect Feb. 1 — was through a tweet on his personal Twitter account Friday.

Travis County stands to lose grants as the governor’s office requires compliance with its directives in order to receive the benefits. Monday's letter states Travis County received almost $1.8 million from the office over the past year “based upon the commitment that federal immigration law would be enforced.”

“Your policy is in violation of that commitment,” Abbott wrote to Hernandez. “Unless you reverse your policy prior to its effective date, your unilateral decision will cost the people of Travis County money that was meant to be used to protect them.”

The sheriff’s office reportedly has a $169 million budget and $1.8 million would be about one percent of the total.