Image Credit: The Dallas Morning News/Hearst Newspapers / Contributor / Getty Images 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to withhold more than $200 million dollars from three sanctuary cities in his state if they continue to limit collaboration with federal immigration enforcement.
Houston, Dallas and Austin received warning letters on Thursday, days after Abbott told Houston it could lose $110 million. Dallas could lose $32 million in state grants and more than $55 million in World Cup public-safety funding. Austin could lose $2.5 million.
“Cities in Texas are expected to make the streets safer, not more deadly,” Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s spokesperson, said in a statement.
Also on Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the City of Houston, Mayor John Whitmire, city council members, and Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz over the same ordinance Abbott warned could lose the city state funding.
“I will not allow any local official to push sanctuary policies that make our communities less safe,” Paxton said.
“Under my watch, no Texas city will be a safe harbor for illegals. The Texas Legislature passed strong legislation that specifically stops the type of lawless ordinance that Houston adopted. Houston has no authority to ignore the Constitution and the laws duly enacted by the Legislature. I’m calling on Houston to immediately repeal this ordinance.”
On 8 April, the Houston City Council voted to limit when the city’s police department can hold individuals on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In response to the letter received from Governor Abbott, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said his city’s policies were fully consistent with state law.
“The City of Austin has made great progress on public safety— but our APD officers do not have the capacity—and should not be asked—to do the jobs of other entities. There is great irony that the state would try to punish the City for providing services that keep Austinites safe by threatening grants that keep Austin safe,” Watson said in a post on X.
“We don’t have the time and will not play into this political theater.”
Sanctuary jurisdictions, which refuse to cooperate with federal immigration operations, were a major target during President Trump’s first term. He signed an executive order to withdraw federal grants from jurisdictions based on their immigration policies. In 2018, that order was blocked, before the block was overturned in 2020.
During the 2024 election campaign, President Trump promised that he would abolish sanctuary jurisdictions if elected.
Attorney General Pam Bondi targeted these jurisdictions immediately upon her confirmation, ordering federal funding to them to be paused and a full investigation of all funding agreements these jurisdictions have with NGOs that offer assistance to illegal aliens. She has also launched a number of lawsuits against sanctuary cities, including Chicago and New York.
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