Texas charged to the forefront of the national debate over immigration as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a “sanctuary cities” ban Sunday evening that lets police ask during routine stops whether someone is in the U.S. legally and threatens sheriffs with jail if they don’t cooperate with federal immigration agents.

Cathie Adams, a national board member of Eagle Forum and a former chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, tells OneNewsNow the anti-sanctuary city bill has some real teeth. For one thing police, chiefs and sheriffs who fail to honor a jail detainer request from federal immigration agents could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which carries possible jail time. And any chief or sheriff who is convicted of not complying could be removed from office.

Banning illegal alien sanctuaries has been viewed as the defining issue of Governor Gregg Abbott’s (R) first term. And Adams adds that providing sanctuary to illegal aliens incites trouble.

Adams

“I think that families deserve better protection than just having a set-aside saying that in this city an illegal alien is going to be protected,” she submits. “That is not protecting the majority of people; it is only protecting one who has already broken the law by being in the country illegally.”

And Adams says this law is important to a state like Texas, as it shares a long border with Mexico.

“These are not people crossing the border just because they need jobs or because they want a safer place to live,” the Eagle Forum board member points out. “These are people who are here to do mischief. And we know that there are drug lords that are controlling the border and creating lots of trouble for those living along the border.”

Adams is also pleased to see that President Trump has made the sanctuary city problem a major focus of his immigration agenda.