Texas governor signs sanctuary cities ban

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took to Facebook Live on Sunday to sign a new law banning “sanctuary cities” in the Lone Star State. The legislation allows police to ask about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain for other reasons—including traffic stops. It also requires law enforcement officials to comply with federal requests to hold immigrants subject to deportation. Officials who don’t comply will be hit with fines and could be removed from office. Immigrant rights groups immediately began preparing a lawsuit against the bill, which goes into effect Sept. 1. Opponents call it the toughest crackdown on immigrants since Arizona rewrote its laws in 2010 to require law enforcement officers to check immigration status. The Texas bill only allows police to ask, it doesn’t require them to do so. In signing the bill, Abbott touted the importance of the rule of law: “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.”