Travis County Sheriff’s Office Releases New ICE Policies, Abbott Cuts Funding

“As Sheriff your primary duty is to ensure the safety of the residents of Travis County. However, your recent policy directive forbidding Travis County Sheriff’s Office employees from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement except in the most limited of circumstances betrays your oath and the residents of Travis County.”

by, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

After being sworn into office, new Travis county sheriff Sally Hernandez issued new policies relating to immigration, Friday.

The policy prohibits officers from inquiring on people’s immigration status; it will also place limitations on how the department works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Though the County Sheriff’s office will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies, Hernandez has scaled back the amount of aid available from her department to immigration agencies.

Hernandez said the goal of the new ICE polices was to ensure the safety of and protect the constitutional rights of Travis County residents.

According to Hernandez, under past retainers, individuals involved in criminal cases were deported immediately after being released on bond; court dates were never met, and the victims and families never received closure or their day in court.

“This system does not foster public safety,” Hernandez said. “Public Safety is fostered whenever there is accountability and closure.”

Starting Feb. 1, Travis County Sheriff Officers will no longer be able to ask about immigration statuses, and the office will not detain individuals for ICE after their time is served without a judge appointed warrant.

Governor Greg Abbott responded to the new policy announcement on twitter. The Office of the Governor has threatened to cut Travis County Sheriff’s Office’s funding if Hernandez does not reverse her policy changes.

Abbott said the ICE policy violates the state immigration law, and the department will lose the $1.8 million grant money from the federal government if the policy is not reversed.

“As Sheriff your primary duty is to ensure the safety of the residents of Travis County,” Abbott said in a letter to Hernandez. “However, your recent policy directive forbidding Travis County Sherriff’s Office (TCSO) employees from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (except in the most limited of circumstances) betrays your oath and the residents of Travis County.”

The $1.8 million Travis County Sheriff’s Office could lose of the ICE policy is only one percent of its overall $169 million budget.

This isn’t the first-time Gov. Abbott has threatened to cut funding of an organization or institution over immigration.

In December, Abbott declared he would cut federal funding to any city or public university that declared sanctuary status.