Austin Becomes Ground Zero For Sanctuary City Battle As Texas Governor Vows To Cut State Funding

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: ZERO HEDGE

URL: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-01-25/austin-becomes-ground-zero-sanctuary-city-battle-texas-governor-vows-cut-state-fundi


Late last week, according to the Austin American- Statesman, the newly elected sheriff of Travis County, Texas, Sally Hernandez, vowed to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials saying that she would only honor immigration holds for suspects booked into the Travis County Jail on charges of capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and "continuous smuggling of persons".

Traditionally, the county has honored nearly all requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold a suspect booked into jail when agents have wanted to investigate their status further.

However, effective Feb. 1, sheriff's officials will honor so-called immigration holds or "detainers" placed by federal authorities only when a suspect is booked into the Travis County Jail on charges of capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and "continuous smuggling of persons."
 

Otherwise, federal agents must have a court order or arrest warrant signed by a judge for the jail to continue housing a person whose immigration status is in question, according to Hernandez's policy, which she released Friday.
 

"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 or that Travis County deputies are ICE officers," Hernandez said in a video announcement.

Of course, the declaration from Hernandez drew an immediate reaction from Texas Governor Greg Abbott who promptly promised to cut state funding for the rogue Travis County and take steps to enact "stiffer penalties" as well.

The Governor's Office will cut funding for Travis County adopting sanctuary policies. Stiffer penalties coming. https://t.co/yYxeXql3xL

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 20, 2017

According to Vocativ, the Travis County Police Department receives $1.8 million in annual grants from the state of Texas.  That said, at roughly 1% of their overall police budget, we suspect the the funding shortfall won't be a sufficient deterrent for Travis County's defiant new Sheriff.

Abbott, a Republican, has threatened to withhold nearly $1.8 million in state law-enforcement grants following Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s decision to buck state law and no longer honor all jail detainers sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A detainer is a request to state and local jails to notify federal agents when they are about to release an undocumented immigrant from custody.

“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,” Abbott wrote in a letter to Hernandez on Monday. “Unless you reverse your policy… your unilateral decision will cost the people of Travis County money that was meant to be used to protect them.”

Of course, Trump also repeatedly vowed during his campaign to cut federal funding for sanctuary cities, a move that he is expected to officially confirm later today, along with a series of other national security initiatives, during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security.

Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

With that, it seems the time has come for many of America's liberal cities to:
(a) get used to policing their streets with smaller budgets or ;
(b) actually start enforcing laws.

[Fishrrman]

I'd like to see those Austin lefties get clobbered by both the feds and the Texas state government...

[IsailedawayfromFR]

There is no retreat.  Both the state and the federal govt is against the idiot cop from Austin.

She just might wind up in federal jail as per 8 U.S. Code § 1324 - Bringing in and harboring certain aliens
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1324

[mountaineer]

she would only honor immigration holds for suspects booked into the Travis County Jail on charges of capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and "continuous smuggling of persons".

So armed robbery, attempted murder, vehicular homicide, felony theft, and all but three crimes are just too trivial for her?

[corbe]

So armed robbery, attempted murder, vehicular homicide, felony theft, and all but three crimes are just too trivial for her?

   Every once in awhile those LIBS in Austin overstep their bounds and get the whack-a-mole treatment, even Perry finally grew a pair and went after that renegade DA's office in Travis County that sidelined Rep. Delay.
   Gov. Abbott has already proved he won't tolerate this crap nor will he wait for Pres. Trump, IF he gets wobbly.

   DACA and DAPA were Executive Orders why are they still online?

    Austin and the surrounding Hill Country is such a great place, if it weren't for the LIBS.

[Wingnut]

ANyone heard from the "coward of the county"  Mayor Stephen Adler?  I heard the Dem Rat was hiding waiting to see how the political wind was blowing

[Elderberry]

ANyone heard from the "coward of the county"  Mayor Stephen Adler?  I heard the Dem Rat was hiding waiting to see how the political wind was blowing

Any relation to Jim Adler the Texas Hammer?

[Wingnut]

Any relation to Jim Adler the Texas Hammer?

They both are ambulance chasers!   They might be relations.

[corbe]

Sanctuary Cities: FOX 7 obtains City of Austin funding list

By: Casey Claiborne

Posted:Jan 23 2017 05:34PM CST

Updated:Jan 23 2017 08:37PM CST

<..snip..>

Abbott's actions this time will only affect Travis County.  But depending on what happens in the legislature this session, more sanctuary cities could lose grant money.

FOX 7 obtained an e-mail chain being sent to representatives in different City of Austin departments.  In response to fears about losing funding if the sanctuary city bills pass, the recipients were compiling a list of federal and state grants the city currently receives.  The rough estimate at the time of the e-mail was more than $50 million.

Nearly $10 million come from the State of Texas alone.

Mayor Steve Adler says he has seen the document and it wasn't a surprise to him.

"I haven't heard anyone suggest that we're in danger of losing that much money for any reason.  And that makes sense to me because it would be both unconstitutional and violative of law if we were threatened with the loss of all that money," Adler said.

Adler believes Travis County is following the law and says Austin has never adopted any sort of ordinance declaring itself a sanctuary city.

"I understand there is no legal definition of a sanctuary city so I'm not sure what it is...so I'm not sure who the bills would apply to," he said.

But the Mayor understands that having the list is a good idea.

"I think it's a question that some of the council members were asking, I was asking, people in the community were asking...just how much money do we get from the federal government and state government?  So I think it's an important number to know.  But it's not something to get frightened over or scared over it's just...the answer to that question," Adler said.

http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/231215911-story

[IsailedawayfromFR]

   Gov. Abbott has already proved he won't tolerate this crap nor will he wait for Pres. Trump, IF he gets wobbly.

Why would you think that the Governor would wait for the feds?

That is a goofy statement if one knows Abbott/

[IsailedawayfromFR]

    Austin and the surrounding Hill Country is such a great place, if it weren't for the LIBS.

50 years ago when I lived there.  Not now/.

[Bigun]

Travis county is adjacent to Williamson county where there has not been a single elected democrat official in 30 years.  Go figure!

[corbe]

Why would you think that the Governor would wait for the feds?

That is a goofy statement if one knows Abbott/

   Because he's a Governor that believes in the Rule of Law?

   My contention @IsailedawayfromFR is IF Trump gets wobbly on Immigration, Abbott's AG will just continue suing them as we have been, that's the only way Texas got any relief in the last 8 years, was through the Courts.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

[SirLinksALot]

SOURCE: MSN via USA TODAY

URL: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanctuary-city-mayors-vow-to-defy-trumps-order/ar-AAmfoMD?li=AA5a8k&ocid=spartanntp

Aamer Madhani


Several big city mayors across the U.S. vowed on Wednesday to defy President Trump’s executive order that threatens to cut off federal funding to cities that offer some sort of protection to undocumented immigrants in their communities.

The pushback from the mayors came as Trump signed a long-anticipated executive order that directs the government to identify federal money it can withhold to punish so-called "sanctuary cities," a term for hundreds of communities that in some way limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents. Trump had pledged to take action against sanctuary cities on the campaign trail.

But as Trump announced the order — as well as action to build a wall along the U.S-Mexico border and hire thousands of new border patrol agents and immigration officers — leaders of some of the nation's biggest cities flatly stated they would not be cooperating with the president.

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed that the action “won’t change how we enforce the law in New York City.”

De Blasio said that the city has been able to dramatically reduce the crime rate in the nation’s largest city, in part, because relationships the police department has managed to build in immigrant communities. He added that if Trump went through with his plan to slash funds it would lead to the president, a native New Yorker, cutting funding from the New York Police Department. An early analysis by NYC officials suggested that about $156 million in federal funding for the NYPD could be impacted.

 “Here in New York City and in cities across the nation, this executive order could in fact undermine public safety and make our neighborhoods less safe,” De Blasio said.

In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh called the executive order an attack on "Boston’s people, Boston’s strength and Boston’s values.”

"If people want to live here, they’ll live here,” Walsh told reporters at a news conference. “They can use my office. They can use any office in this building.”

In Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray said that he had directed city departments to review their budgets to prepare for a potential loss of federal funding, the Associated Press reports.

"This city will not be bullied by this administration," Murray said. "We believe we have the rule of law and the courts on our side."

In Chicago, where Trump has pilloried the mayor over the surge in violence in the city, Mayor Rahm Emanuel vowed that the nation’s third largest city would remain a sanctuary city. Emanuel sidestepped questions at an afternoon news conference about how the city would weather a potential cut in federal funding.

“I want to be clear. We're gonna stay a sanctuary city," Emanuel said. "There is no stranger among us. We welcome people, whether you're from Poland or Pakistan, whether you're from Ireland or India or Israel and whether you're from Mexico or Moldova, where my grandfather came from, you are welcome in Chicago as you pursue the American Dream."

In San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee told reporters after Trump signed the executive order that nothing has changed for his city.

“I am here today to say we are still a sanctuary city,” Lee said. “We stand by our sanctuary city because we want everybody to feel safe and utilize the services they deserve, including education and health care.”

Both Lee and De Blasio said that early readings of the executive order by their cities' attorneys suggest that the document is vaguely written and predicted that the Trump administration would face a tough legal battle if it tries to use it as a basis to slash funding.

“There is less here than meets the eye,” De Blasio said of the order.

In Detroit, a top aide to Mayor Mike Duggan, questioned whether the city even qualified as a sanctuary city.

The Detroit City Council in 2007 passed legislation prohibiting city employees, including police, form asking about person’s immigration status unless it was directly related to an alleged crime. City officials say that Detroit police, however, regularly cooperated with requests from federal immigration officials.

“We do not believe this applies to the city of Detroit," said Alexis Wiley, Mayor Mike Duggan's chief of staff. "We do cooperate fully with all federal agencies during the course of criminal investigations, regardless of a person’s immigration status.”

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Major Cities Chief Association expressed concern that the executive order is overly vague.

 “That order does not provide a clear definition of what constitutes a sanctuary jurisdiction,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “Instead, it gives undefined discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate sanctuary jurisdictions and the Attorney General to take action against them. We call upon the Secretary of Homeland Security to document and promulgate a lawful definition before further actions are taken, so the cities across the Nation may determine how to proceed."

[SirLinksALot]

[DCPatriot]

Don't think the citizens of said 'sanctuaries' will allow their taxes to skyrocket to fund the social services provided to them.

Will be interesting to watch it play out.

[thackney]

In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio vowed that the action “won’t change how we enforce don't enforce the law in New York City.”

[IsailedawayfromFR]

   Because he's a Governor that believes in the Rule of Law?

   My contention @IsailedawayfromFR is IF Trump gets wobbly on Immigration, Abbott's AG will just continue suing them as we have been, that's the only way Texas got any relief in the last 8 years, was through the Courts.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

I see.  You are talking about the state and the feds.

I am talking about the state and one of its cities.  Abbott can certainly address actions against Texas cities that do not satisfy state law, regardless of federal.  What is this 'rule of law' you refer to?

Abbott is addressing the law the state has to distribute funds to cities based upon certain requirements.

What are you referring to when you brought that up?

[DCPatriot]

I think you are wrong on that. I live near Seattle, and the libs here (which are the majority) are proclaiming how proud they are of the mayor for standing up to Trump, and how it's "only" 75 million out of a $5 billion budget.

One issue this raises for me, is why is the Fed gov funneling money to cities in the first place? This just seems like another mechanism to circumvent states rights.

I think that Obama's original "stimulus" program that was supposed to go for shovel-ready jobs for roads and bridges, went to fund local construction projects to house, clothe and feed illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities...as well as public sector unions in a money laundering scheme.

Also...nobody knows where that missing $6 BILLION from the State Department went under Hillary Clinton.

[DCPatriot]

I don't think Montgomery County, Maryland is going to go for any tax increases. 

The county is bleeding out millionaires now for the past 10 years...for it's a hop, skip and a jump across the Potomac River into Fairfax and Fauquier Counties, Virginia.

That said, if they stop funding it from the federal level and the state doesn't make up the differences....entire ZIP CODES are going to turn into slums.

Wheaton, Takoma Park, Silver Spring, even Rockville and now Frederick County are going to suffer.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I think you are wrong on that. I live near Seattle, and the libs here (which are the majority) are proclaiming how proud they are of the mayor for standing up to Trump, and how it's "only" 75 million out of a $5 billion budget.

One issue this raises for me, is why is the Fed gov funneling money to cities in the first place? This just seems like another mechanism to circumvent states rights.

My daughter lives near Seattle as well.

It is a very high cost living condition forcing her and her well-paid husband to rent.

Should the locals have to fund more of the burden, some will move.  Same thing with companies.

One reason places like Austin and Raleigh/Durham are growing.  A lot cheaper.

[mountaineer]

   Austin and the surrounding Hill Country is such a great place, if it weren't for the LIBS.

I've heard that comment so many times!

[IsailedawayfromFR]

   Because he's a Governor that believes in the Rule of Law?

   My contention @IsailedawayfromFR is IF Trump gets wobbly on Immigration, Abbott's AG will just continue suing them as we have been, that's the only way Texas got any relief in the last 8 years, was through the Courts.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

A new newsfeed.  Notice there is nothing in here about waiting for the feds.

This is all about the state rebuking one its cities.  Texas does not care to have criminals in its state.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/26/texas-gov-abbott-threatens-to-oust-officials-who-promote-sanctuary-cities.html
Texas Gov. Abbott threatens to oust officials who promote sanctuary cities
@corbe

[Sanguine]

Don't think the citizens of said 'sanctuaries' will allow their taxes to skyrocket to fund the social services provided to them.

Will be interesting to watch it play out.

They have so far.  Austin has been a de facto sanctuary city for years.