Dallas County in GOP Crosshairs With Immigration Resolution

AUSTIN -- Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to "bring the hammer down on Dallas County" if it acts on the immigrant-welcoming resolution county commissioners passed Tuesday night.The resolution the Dallas County Commissioners approved may have put a chunk of its budget squarely in the crosshairs of Republican lawmakers like Abbott in Austin and Washington who are determined to outlaw so-called sanctuary cities in Texas.Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick were quick to decry the resolution, which declared the county a welcoming community for immigrants, including unauthorized ones. The commissioners essentially thumbed their noses at GOP state leaders' anti-sanctuary efforts, calling on local law enforcement agencies to "end nonessential collaborations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement." "If anybody acts on that resolution to make Dallas a sanctuary city, if any sanctuary city policy is implemented in any way, the hammer will come down on them," Abbott said.Abbott, who has already cut funding to Travis County over the sheriff's sanctuary policy, said he would make it "financially impossible" for Dallas County to reduce its cooperation with federal immigration authorities. But he acknowledged that the resolution alone wasn't an actual policy; he vowed to take action if any policies were enacted. Patrick called the move a stunning betrayal of what the American public wants and said it puts the community at risk.But the tough talk didn't worry most members of the Commissioners Court, who said the county's budget wouldn't be affected by the resolution because it's not legally binding. Plus, they said, Sheriff Lupe Valdez fully cooperates with federal immigration authorities at the Dallas County Jail. "It's just politics," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "People in the Legislature want to show who's the toughest on immigration and these so-called sanctuary cities."Dallas County's "Welcoming Communities" resolution came as state leaders are waging an all-out political assault on local governments that fail to enforce federal immigration laws. The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would cut millions in state funds to sanctuary jurisdictions, levy significant fines against them and make elected officials who promote such policies subject to criminal charges. Critics of the anti-sanctuary movement, though, worry that it will spark fear in immigrant communities and harm the state's economy. Most of the state's big city police chiefs have opposed the ban, saying it would damage their relationships with immigrant communities they serve, making it harder for them to contact crime victims and witnesses. They also worry it could subject them and their officers to racial profiling lawsuits. "We should remember that Texas, and this country, was made great by the hard work of so many people who came here from other places," said Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio.While lawmakers debate a new law banning sanctuary cities, Abbott has already cut nearly $2 million in funding to Travis County after the sheriff there refused to reverse a policy she adopted that prohibits officers from asking about immigration status and declines to turn over all undocumented immigrants to federal officials.  Continue reading...