Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into law Sunday a bill that prohibits localities from enacting or following “sanctuary” policies and establishes criminal and civil penalties for officials who do not comply.

Abbott, who gave no advance notice of the event, signed the piece of legislation into law via Facebook Live. The legislation, which goes into effect Sept. 1, forces Texas officials to comply with federal immigration laws and agents by honoring detention requests or face misdemeanor charges and fines up to $25,000 per day that they violate the law. Non-compliant officials also face removal from their posts if they continue to defy the law.

“Texans expect us to keep them safe, and that is exactly what we are going to do by me signing this law.”

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The bill also stipulates that law enforcement officials can inquire about anyone’s immigration status if they are detained.

“It simply makes sense … Let’s face it, 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,” Abbott said in his livestream video, just before signing the bill into law. “Texans expect us to keep them safe, and that is exactly what we are going to do by me signing this law.”

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“As governor, my top priority is public safety, and this bill furthers that objective by keeping dangerous criminals off our streets,” Abbott added in a press release. “It’s inexcusable to release individuals from jail that have been charged with heinous crimes like sexual assault against minors, domestic violence, and robbery.”

Democratic lawmakers and pro-illegal immigrant rights activists were, unsurprisingly, quick to pan the new law and threaten legal action against it.

“[Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund] will do its level best, in court and out, to restore Texas, the state where MALDEF was founded, to its greater glory, and to help Texas to overcome ‘Abbott’s Folly,'” MALDEF President Thomas Saenz said in a statement, according to The Dallas Morning News.

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Saenz insisted that this “colossal blunder” of a law will alienate “nearly half the state population” and usher in a new era of racism.

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“This is not the Texas I know … This racist and wrongheaded piece of legislation ignores our values, imperils our communities, and sullies our reputation as a free and welcoming state,” Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said in a statement. “We will fight this assault in the courts, at the ballot box, and in the streets if we have to.”

Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez — the infamous Austin-area official who initiated a “sanctuary” policy in January — said it was “unfortunate that fear and misinformation” spawned the bill and led to its passage in both the state House and Senate.

“Isn’t this quasi-insane that we have to pass a law to force law enforcement officers to comply with the law?” Abbott said Monday on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” before decrying the “wild rhetoric” bandied about by the Left.

“If you were here, regardless of your status, and you have not committed a crime that makes you subject to an [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] detainer, you have no problems whatsoever,” Abbott added.