Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has officially signed into law a measure to punish so-called "sanctuary cities," despite pleas from some of the police departments of cities like Austin to halt the bill they said would hinder their ability to fight crime.  Sure, because enforcing laws tends to 'hinder' the crime-fighting process.

Per Reuters, the Republican-dominated legislature passed the bill on party-line votes and sent the measure to Abbott earlier this month. The bill is designed to punish local authorities who do not abide by requests to cooperate with federal immigration agents.  Police officials found to be in violation of the law could face removal from office, fines and up to a year in prison if convicted.

The measure also allows police to ask people about their immigration status during a lawful detention, even for minor infractions like jaywalking.

Of course, Texas, which has an estimated 1.5 million illegal immigrants and the longest border with Mexico of any U.S. state, has been at the forefront of the immigration debate.

“As governor, my top priority is public safety, and this bill furthers that objective by keeping dangerous criminals off our streets,” Abbott said in a statement. The law will take effect on Sept. 1.

Of course, some law enforcement officials, like "sanctuary" Sally Hernandez of Travis County (Austin), has vowed to fight Abbott's legislation and, up to this point, has refused to cooperate with federal immigration agents.