Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday night signed a law banning sanctuary cities in his state.
Abbott signed the bill on Facebook without prior notice, the Associated Press reported. Abbott's spokesman said the reason it was done on Facebook was because many people receive their news there.
Republicans in the state legislature passed the legislation, although Democrats protested it.
The law bans cities throughout the state from enacting policies that prohibit police and sheriffs from cooperating with federal immigration officials. The law also allows law enforcement to check the immigration status of those they stop.
"Let's face it, the reason why so many people come to America is because we are a nation of laws and Texas is doing its part to keep it that way," Abbott said.
Critics of the legislation say that it will allow authorities to discriminate against Hispanics.
Many jurisdictions across the United States have enacted so-called sanctuary city measures to establish themselves as havens for undocumented immigrants, refusing to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Critics say such measures allow safe harbor to violent criminals who entered the country illegally.
