Texas GOP Aims to Revive Law to Ban Sanctuary Cities

Texas Republicans are looking to revive a proposed law banning sanctuary cities that Gov. Rick Perry had made a top priority. Twelve Democratic state senators managed to block the bill until after a critical deadline passed, The Houston Chronicle reported.

"I don't think we're ready to give up," said state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. "All of the governor's other emergency measures have passed but this one."

The proposal would have prevented would have banned local governments from creating so-called "sanctuaries' for illegal immigrants.

Gov. Rick Perry: "We need to give our law enforcement some flexibility." (Getty Images Photo)

On Wednesday, Perry said he would let lawmakers work out the issue, which he said “the people of the state of Texas want to see addressed.”

The sanctuary cities controversy results from federal failure to secure the borders, the governor said.

"It goes back to the whole issue of border security,” he said. “The members of the Legislature would probably stand here and tell you they'd just as soon not have to be dealing with this issue . . . but because of the failure of Washington, D.C., from the standpoint of securing our border, there are individuals who are coming into Texas who are illegally penetrating into this country.

"We need to give our law enforcement some flexibility, that's what this bill does. It gives them the flexibility to be able to just ask some appropriate and routine questions of those individuals during a lawful stop."