Source: www.lifezette.com
by Brendan Kirby

Abbott says bill would put Travis County official behind ‘bars that she has tried to release people from’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday showed no sign of backing down in his high-profile battle with the sheriff of Travis County over her “sanctuary” policy. He aims to hit recalcitrant officials on multiple fronts.

Abbott said on “The Laura Ingraham Show” that state legislation would hit local law enforcement officials in the pocketbook and even threaten their personal freedom for refusing to comply with federal immigration law.

“It could lead to actual criminal penalties against people like this sheriff for violating their oath of office and, hopefully, put her behind bars — the bars that she has tried to release people from,” he said.

Sheriff Sally Hernandez sparked the confrontation earlier this year by announcing a new policy that limits her department’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.

“We in law enforcement need the cooperation of our communities of color,” she told “PBS NewsHour” last week. “We need them to be running to us, and not running away from us.”

Abbott responded by cutting off $1.5 million in law enforcement grants to Travis County, which includes the state capital, Austin.

“That was just for starters,” he told LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham.

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