“This Texas Sheriff has the right idea,” one of Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial candidates, Tom Tancredo, said in a tweet Monday. “What will it take to get Denver, Boulder and other sanctuary cities in ….”

Tancredo then posted an opinion piece from The Hill titled “Texas sanctuary city crackdown should go nationwide.”

“Sanctuary policies create a neon welcome sign for illegal aliens,” the article states. “But laws like Texas’ anti-sanctuary city law S.B. 4 turn that light off. This law should be a model for other jurisdictions across the country when it comes to cracking down on sanctuary policies and boosting the relationships between state, local and federal law enforcement officials. As an elected Texas sheriff who works along one of the biggest human trafficking corridors in the country – U.S. 59 – having a working relationship with immigration officials is essential to tackle this massive problem.”

The Justice Department sent letters to 29 cities, counties and states, including Denver, in mid-September warning them they might not be eligible to receive federal law enforcement grants if they didn’t comply with an obscure law relating to providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants.

The Justice Department gave Denver and the others until Dec. 8 to respond.

Federal judges have already blocked the Trump administration from withholding those funds – twice.

“If more municipalities were held accountable for the actions of criminal aliens after they’re released from police custody with an active ICE detainer request, you would see far fewer jurisdictions with sanctuary policies,”Jackson County Sheriff A.J. (Andy) Louderback writes in The Hill. “S.B. 4 forces cities to follow the rule of law, and by doing that it keeps the streets safe for everyone. As a law enforcement official, I feel personally responsible for the lives of everyone in my county, and Texas’ new sanctuary cities law gives me the tools I need to do my job.”

It’s not the first time sanctuary cities Denver and Boulder have been targets for Tancredo in his quest to become the state’s next governor.

The former congressman told Westword on Nov. 15 that city of Denver employees who assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement representatives in ways that go beyond current city policy could be fined up to $1,000, jailed, and fired.

Apparently, city staffers were sent an email that said, “If you receive a request from the Department of Homeland Security or ICE asking for someone’s personal information (including whereabouts) or about a person’s immigration or citizenship status, take the following steps.”

One of those staffers sent the e-mail to Tancredo.

“When in doubt, give CAO a shout! CAO is the City Attorney’s Office,” the email continued. “Please be aware that … any employee who violates this ordinance is subject to discipline up to and including termination … Any employee who knowingly or intentionally violates this ordinance is subject to criminal prosecution and may be fined up to $999.00 and a term of incarceration not to exceed 300 days in jail.”

Tancredo said if elected, he would outlaw sanctuary cities.

“I can’t do that unilaterally, but there are financial disincentives that can be applied, and I would absolutely do that,” he told Westword.

The 29 jurisdictions warned by the DOJ in September in addition to the city and county of Denver are: Albany, N.Y.; Berkeley, Calif.; Bernalillo County, N.M.; Burlington, Ver.; Contra Costa County, Calif.; Fremont, Calif.; Jackson, Miss.; King County, Wash.; Lawrence, Mass.; Los Angeles; Louisville, Ky.; Middlesex, N.J.; Monterey County, Calif.; Multnomah County, Ore.; Newark, N.J; Riverside County, Calif.; Sacramento County, Calif.; the city and county of San Francisco; Santa Ana, Calif.; Santa Clara County, Calif.; Seattle; Sonoma County, Calif.; Watsonville, Calif.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Illinois; Oregon;Washington; and Vermont.