Texas Governor Greg Abbott has cut off funding to Travis County, home to the state’s capital, after the county sheriff refused to back down from offering sanctuary to immigrants.
As The Texas Tribune reports,Abbot’s office announced this week that it would cancel $1.5 million in criminal justice grants to the county. Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez has said that she will not cooperate with Federal authorities when they request that a person in the county be flagged for deportation.
Governor Abbott has indicated that he may attempt to remove Sheriff Hernandez from office. Even so, Hernandez is refusing to back down.
The money Abbott has taken away from Austin would have gone toward programs that help children, women, families and veterans. And the Governor has indicated that further cuts may be coming, if Travis County doesn’t fall in line.