(TEXAS TRIBUNE) – Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has threatened to cut state funding to three of Texas’ largest cities if they fail to change policies that the governor says limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
Around $200 million in public safety funding is at risk for Houston, Dallas and Austin, which all have rules directing police officers not to prolong the detention of individuals during encounters like traffic stops for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.
Some cities have also been under legal scrutiny from Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, which said their policies violate Senate Bill 4, a state law that bans local governments from adopting measures that “materially limit” immigration enforcement. Some local leaders have pushed back against that charge, and the ACLU of Texas has said policies like Houston’s support “longstanding protections under the Fourth Amendment.”…