Texas Governor Greg Abbott was interviewed by Sean Hannity and the nationally syndicated radio talk show host told Abbott – “Good job in Texas, I’ll tell you that!” Hannity commended Abbott for his tough stance on sanctuary cities, his lawsuit against the Obama administration’s amnesty program, and putting a halt to Obama’s amnesty during his tenure as President. The talk show host also asked the Texas Governor who he was supporting as President.
Hannity noted that although 5.6 percent of the population in the United States consisted of illegal immigrants, 38 percent of the murder convictions in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California, and New York, were perpetrated by criminal illegal aliens.
Abbott told Hannity that he sent a letter to Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez demanding that she stop her sanctuary city protection by abandoning her policy that says she will honor immigration detainers when she decides to. The Governor said the Dallas sheriff has created the same situation as that in San Francisco. Abbott said, “We are not going to allow law enforcement officers in this state to subject Texans’ safety to being trampled, and harmed, and murdered, like Kate Steinle was in San Francisco.”
Breitbart News has reported extensively on the murder of 32-year-old Kate Steinle. Steinle died in her father’s arms after she was shot in broad daylight while walking on a pier in San Francisco. Juan Franscisco Lopez-Sanchez, an illegal immigrant and multiple felon who had been deported on numerous occasions, has been arrested and charged with the murder. As reported by Breitbart California, Lopez-Sanchez told a local ABC News affiliate that he chose San Francisco because he knew the sanctuary city would not hand him over to immigration officials.
On October 12th, Breitbart Texas’ Bob Price reported that Dallas County Sheriff Valdez had eased immigration holds on jailed immigrants. Legal immigrants and illegal aliens who have been jailed on minor offenses are no longer being held for an additional 48 hours for ICE officials. Valdez’ policy moves Dallas County in line with 300 other cities and counties across the nation who have officially restricted their cooperation with ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement). When criticized, Valdez said, “Immigration is a federal law. I don’t know why they keep expecting me to take care of federal issues.” “We make our decisions based on reason, safety and what’s best for the community,” she said.
On October 26th, Abbott sent Sheriff Valdez a tersely worded letter, as reported by Breitbart Texas. He told her in the letter that her “case-by case immigration detention plan will no longer be tolerated in Texas.” Abbott’s letter is included in the Breitbart Texas article.
Hannity noted the reaction to Donald Trump when Trump said that illegal aliens come into the country to murder and rape, and said that most people come into the country for jobs and opportunity. Hannity said however, he saw with his briefing while talking to former Governor Rick Perry, that the Texas Department of Public Safety has chronicled over 600,000 unique crimes committed in Texas between 2008 and 2014, rapes, murders, and other crimes. Hannity asked, “Why do we put up with this?”
Abbott answered Hannity, “We are making it clear today that we are no longer going to put up with this. We have had it Sean with the federal government not doing its job,” he said. He continued, “As you recall last week, the United States Senate voted on this issue and it did not pass.”
Breitbart Texas reported that the U.S. Senate failed last week to come up with the required 60 votes needed to move forward with the Sanctuary City Bill. S.2146 would have stripped federal funding for cities and other communities that do not honor requests from immigration officials to hold criminal illegal aliens in their jails.
The Texas Governor told Hannity, “We are tired of the federal government talking but not acting, not securing our states, our cities, and our country and so the state of Texas is stepping-up and making it very clear that sanctuary city policies are not going to be tolerated here. We are not going to have a Kate Steinle take place here in the state of Texas. We are going to enforce the laws, we are going to apprehend those who should be apprehended and turn them over to ICE for appropriate criminal action.”
In discussing liberal immigration policies, the Texas Governor warned that Hillary Clinton is advocating even more liberal policies than President Obama. Abbott said that Obama said 22 times that he did not have the authority to expand amnesty and then he turned around and did it last November.
Abbott told listeners that Texas was the only state that filed a lawsuit to sue the federal government over Obama’s executive decision. Abbott said it was his 31st lawsuit against the federal government. He was able to get about half of the states to join in the lawsuit and the result he said, “We have single-handedly stopped Barack Obama’s illegal executive amnesty order and put a halt to it through the remainder of his tenure as President of the United States.” Abbott is the longest serving attorney general in Texas and he was the state’s top lawyer until he became Governor in January of 2015.
Brianna Brown, Director for TOP’s Dallas County office, responded to Governor Abbott’s warning to the Dallas County Sheriff saying, “Sheriff Lupe Valdez strengthened the trust and safety of her community when she decided to stop honoring ICE holds for people accused of minor offenses.” The leftist organization Texas Organizing Project (“TOP”) has called for leniency for illegal aliens in jail and has organized protests against the Texas Governor.
Breitbart Texas’s Bob Price said, “Once again, liberal groups like the Texas Organizing Project want to blur the lines between criminal illegal aliens and other people living in the community who are here illegally. Sheriff Valdez’ new policy of not honoring ICE detainers only pertains to criminal illegal aliens who have been arrested and placed in her jail. She still has not addressed how releasing criminals, who ICE is seeking to deport, makes her community safer.”
As reported by Breitbart Texas on October 14th, pro-Obama amnesty activists from the Texas Organizing Project disrupted a standing-room-only, grassroots event hosted by Abbott in Houston. Chanting “Stop the Lawsuit” and “DACA … DAPA,” outside the gathering, two of the activists disrupted the Texas governor’s meeting inside on two occasions. One of the protesters was arrested after property management and police asked him to leave the premises and he refused to do so.
Towards the end of the radio broadcast, Hannity asked Abbott who he was supporting for President. The Governor replied that although he is holding off making any recommendation, his criteria includes someone who will: return America to constitutional principles; secure the border; “stop expanding the federal entitlement regime that is taking us $18 trillion in debt;” reign in the EPA; wipe-out the Department of Education and return education to local control; and overturn Dodd-Frank that limits our local communities financially. Abbott said, “I am continuing to look for the right candidate, but someone who holds Texas near-and-dear to their hearts, but most importantly someone who is finally going to follow the U.S. Constitution, and start appointing judges who apply the law, instead of rewriting the law.”
At the end of the program Hannity asked Abbott about secession from the union. Abbott responded that the better solution would be to expand “Texas principles” across the United States. He said Texas has shown other states how government should run. Although Hannity questioned whether this could ever happen in New York, Chicago, or New Jersey, Abbott said that cities like Illinois are going to have to use the “Texas Model” in order to survive.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and an associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter@LanaShadwick2
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