A sweeping border security package that is a priority of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has passed the Senate without divisive immigrant crackdowns.
Republican state Sen. Brian Birdwell said Monday he wouldn't allow contentious "sanctuary cities" or anti-Texas DREAM Act proposals to be tacked onto the main border security bill that now moves closer to Abbott's desk.
"Sanctuary cities" has become Republican shorthand to describe local governments that forbid police from asking about a person's immigration status.
Some Senate Republicans want the state to punish those cities and repeal in-state tuition for college students who were brought into the country illegally as children. But there is little sign of support for those proposals in the House.
The price tag on border security is poised to at least double under Abbott.
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