HARD LINE

Texas Gov. Signs ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Ban on Facebook Live

Threatens local officials with jail if they don’t cooperate.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed “sanctuary cities” ban Senate Bill 4 into law Sunday night, broadcasting via Facebook Live without a press conference or notifying the media. Dubbed a “Show Me Your Papers” law, the measure threatens law-enforcement officials with jail time if they don’t cooperate with federal agencies in cracking down on undocumented immigrants, and allows police to inquire about a person’s immigration status even for a minor traffic stop. It has been condemned by Democrats and human-rights groups as legalized discrimination; a similar law, Arizona SB 1070, was partly struck down in 2012 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Abbott, by himself, gave a five-minute speech on Facebook Live around 7 p.m. “Texas has now banned ‘sanctuary cities’ in the Lone Star State,” he said. “Now let’s be clear, 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.” A spokesman for the governor said Abbott chose to use Facebook Live “for the page views,” the Texas Observer reported. Local Democrats have said they will challenge the legislation before it takes effect Sept. 1.