WATCH: Houston faces $110M hit as Texas gov lays down law on 'sanctuary' policies
Houston, a major red-state city run by Democrats, is in "crisis" mode as it faces an ultimatum to repay the State of Texas approximately $110 million if it does not...
By Fox News · Fox News
Houston, a major red-state city run by Democrats, is in "crisis" mode as it faces an ultimatum to repay the State of Texas approximately $110 million if it does not repeal a "sanctuary"-type ordinance limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Houston City Council recently voted to end a policy requiring police to wait at least 30 minutes for ICE to arrive if a suspect had an immigration warrant. Afterward, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott , a Republican, drew a line in the sand, telling the city to immediately reverse its policy or face "extraordinarily difficult financial choices." Abbott asserted that Houston is "trying to renege on their obligations" after signing onto a public safety agreement to receive state funding that required it to cooperate with immigration enforcement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "The City of Houston right now is in breach of contract," Abbott told reporters last week. "That’s going to require the City of Houston to immediately provide $110 million to the State of Texas." GOP WARNS DEMOCRATS' DHS SHUTDOWN COULD JEOPARDIZE WORLD CUP SECURITY Regardless of whether the city council cooperates, Abbott said city officials will face the consequences of their noncompliance. If officials refuse to repay Texas, Abbott said the state comptroller will withhold sales tax revenue that would otherwise go to the city. "It’s not as if they’re going to say, ‘Well, we may or may not get around to writing a check,’" he said. "Know this, the way the law works … the comptroller will withhold the sales tax revenue that otherwise will go to the City of Houston and will be retained by the State of Texas until the State of Texas is fully repaid the $110 million that is owed by Houston to the state." Abbott shot down a reporter’s question on whether his ultimatum contradicts his public safety goals. "Let’s be clear about a couple things," he said. "If the city council was serious about public safety, they would not all…