Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened on Monday to strip funding from one of the largest counties in the state if its sheriff follows through on her pledge to deny federal requests to detain undocumented immigrants.
In a letter to Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, Abbott vowed to revoke $1.8 million in federal grants unless local officials reverse course on their plan to enact sanctuary city policies by Feb. 1.
Abbott, a Republican, called Hernandez's proposal "dangerous" and "misguided."
"Under your reckless policy, for example, dangerous criminal aliens convicted of felonies like murder, aggravated assault, human trafficking … will be turned loose into Travis County without permitting [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] the opportunity to collect them," the Republican governor wrote.
Hernandez, a Democrat elected in November, announced Friday that the sheriff's department would stop cooperating with federal immigration officers, allowing the county to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.
Hernandez said only those immigrants who committed violent crimes, including murder and sexual assault, would be turned over to federal authorities, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Abbott's threat could soon be followed by action on the federal level. President Donald Trump has vowed to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities across the U.S. within his first 100 days in office.