<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1CzBXV_1H1dham900" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1CzBXV_1H1dham900" width="976" height="651" ><figcaption>Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Texas could become a "sanctuary state" under Democrats and criticized John Whitmire's newest ICE policy. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Houston Mayor John Whitmire are clashing over the city's approach to immigration enforcement, with Patrick accusing the mayor of turning Houston into a "sanctuary city" and Whitmire pushing back against what he called a misunderstanding of the city's policy.This video created with the assistance of AI.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2ZTqOF_1H1dham900" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ZTqOF_1H1dham900" width="640" height="360" ></figure>The exchange came as Patrick, who is leaving office after Democrats' historic midterm victories in Texas, used his podcast to criticize Whitmire's executive order limiting when Houston police cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Patrick also warned that Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa could take the state in a similar direction."I'm surprised he's always been a law and order guy; he automatically says Houston police aren't going to cooperate with ICE, turning Houston into a sanctuary city," Patrick said. "And I believe that the new governor will turn our state into a sanctuary state, meaning it's more dangerous."Whitmire pushed back on Patrick's comments during a phone call with Chron, rejecting the sanctuary-city label and defending his approach to immigration enforcement."First and foremost, nobody even knows what a sanctuary city is," he said. "We're a welcoming city of immigrants; they make up a major contribution to our great city and nothing will stop that." The executive order Whitmire signed last Friday directs the Houston Police Department to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) o only when someone has committed a "jailable offense," which the mayor believes is reasonable. "When I was on the Senate floor, I voted against SB 4 because I was concerned about the fear factor, but we're following it by going after the bad guys," he said. "If someone commits a crime regardless of their immigration status, we will protect the public." <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2jYZOw_1H1dham900" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2jYZOw_1H1dham900" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption>Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Texas could become a "sanctuary state" under Democrats and criticized John Whitmire's newest ICE policy. (Photo by John Anderson/The Austin Chronicle/Getty Images) (John Anderson/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure><h2>What a Democratic administration in Texas means for Houston</h2>Despite getting criticized for not being more aggressive against the state, Whitmire, a Democrat for more than 50 years, said he faced an uphill battle."I have a responsibility to protect the city's finances," he said. "Abbott said if we didn't follow his interpretation of Senate Bill 4, we would lose hundreds of millions of dollars." With a new administration coming to Austin, however, Whitmire said he anticipates having less pushback because of his relationships with incoming state leaders, whom he knew as colleagues during his time in the Texas Senate."Under the current Abbott administration: they are professional contacts; the ones taking office are my colleagues and friends," he explained. "Houston will only have better relationships than ever before and anybody that says otherwise is just campaigning for something…I don't have time for politics." <h2>Patrick says Texas is purple, not blue </h2>Patrick, however, rejected the idea that Texas has permanently turned blue, instead describing the state as purple after the Democratic wave."Right now, I'd say it's purple," Patrick said. "We've been winning consistently and people see it as a red state. But this time, this time the Democrats turned out more of their Democrat voters than Republicans turned out of their voters." Though Patrick agreed Democrats won the midterms fair and square, the results still appear to baffle longtime GOP lawmakers. "I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but I just got caught up like everyone else down the ticket below me all the way," he said. "I mean, why did we lose three Supreme Court justices who were doing a great job? It's just because they had an R in front of their name." <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1GVwVR_1H1dham900" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1GVwVR_1H1dham900" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption>SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 01: Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (L) and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Texas State Rep. James Talarico take the stage during a Dia de los Muertos concert rally at The Espee on November 01, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. Hinojosa is running against Republican candidate, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott and Talarico is running against Republican Senate candidate, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with both sides and their supporters spending a combined $560 million, making it the most expensive senate race in U.S. history. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure><h2>Will it stay blue for long?</h2>While efforts to limit powers to incoming Democratic lawmakers like Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa and Lt. Gov-elect Vikki Goodwin are already being discussed, Patrick argues the GOP's losing midterms are solely a temporary setback-but one Republicans are planning to keep an eye on. "I would say it's a group of voters who are willing to change their vote election to election depending on how they feel and how they feel about who's in charge," Patrick explained. "So we're not a blue state, but we're going to have to work hard to be sure in [20]28 and '30 and '32 we don't become one."For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here.This article originally published at Dan Patrick warns Texas is headed for a 'sanctuary state.' Whitmire pushes back.</div></body>

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Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Houston Mayor John Whitmire are clashing over the city's approach to immigration enforcement, with Patrick accusing the mayor of turning Houston into a "sanctuary city" and Whitmire pushing back against what he called a misunderstanding of the city's policy. This video created with the...

Dan Patrick warns Texas is headed for a 'sanctuary state.' Whitmire pushes back

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Outgoing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Houston Mayor John Whitmire are clashing over the city's approach to immigration enforcement, with Patrick accusing the m

Dan Patrick warns Texas is headed for a 'sanctuary state.' Whitmire pushes back

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