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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Texas Gov. Abbott cuts funding to Austin over sanctuary city policies |
| 2017-02-02 |
| [FOX] Texas Gov. Greg Abbott blocked funding to Austin on Wednesday after its sheriff said the city’s jails would no longer honor most federal immigration detainers. Abbott’s move begins a crackdown over sanctuary city policies in the state. The Republican governor is also pushing to sign new laws that could go even further than President Donald Trump’s new executive actions against sanctuary policies. Travis County officials condemned Abbott’s decision, which would cost Austin 1.5 million in grant money earmarked for crime victim services, courts and other programs. They stood by Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who announced after Trump’s inauguration that her jails would only honor immigration holds I murder, aggravated sexual assault and human trafficking cases. Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt wrote in a letter to Abbott that she was confident the sheriff is within the law. "I am certain you have come to the same conclusion; else you would not be seeking to change current State law to put all Texas Sheriffs in the service of the United States Department of Homeland Security," Eckhardt wrote. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #7 There is a clear problem with the cost of unfunded federal mandate here There may be a problem, but refusal isn't couched in terms of protesting an "unfunded mandate". |
| Posted by: Pappy 2017-02-02 18:51 |
| #6 The rest of us refer to it as 'The People's Republic of Travis County'. Thick with federal offices, thanks to LBJ, not to mention UT. FYI in Texas, the County Judge is not courtroom figure; they're the head of the county commissioners. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2017-02-02 17:56 |
| #5 There is a clear problem with the cost of unfunded federal mandate here. Particularly if ICE/DHS are parking inmates in local jails like State governments are fond of parking inmates in county/city jails. |
| Posted by: magpie 2017-02-02 15:39 |
| #4 "Sheriff Sally..." Call me old fashioned, but unless this is a sitcom involving Suzanne Somers I think I might detect part of the problem. |
| Posted by: Crusader 2017-02-02 13:35 |
| #3 The sheriff is 'within the law' by ignoring select parts of the law? Maybe that was OK last year... |
| Posted by: Bobby 2017-02-02 13:24 |
| #2 What's up with all these politicians doing what they said they'd do? What ever happened to useless posturing? It's like the whole world has gone mad. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2017-02-02 09:34 |
| #1 so Judge-shopped in the most liberal County? Same County that did the witch-hunt on Perry, Tom Delay, and kept Rosemary "Do you know *hic* WHO I am? I know people!" Lehmberg in power? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2017-02-02 08:48 |