Houston Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat, has rolled back local police cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following Democratic gains in Texas elections. The new order, signed Friday, restricts officers from contacting ICE unless they arrest an undocumented immigrant for a jailable offense who also has an administrative immigration warrant.
“This is the right thing to do at the right time,” Whitmire said during a press conference. “No one has to worry about them doing a warrant, search, which includes ICE unless they’re being charged with a new jailable offense, including dangerous crimes, violent offenders.”
Policy Shift Details
Under the revised policy, Houston police will no longer detain individuals solely based on administrative ICE warrants unless they are arrested for a separate, jailable offense. Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr. clarified: “HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and they are not arrested.”
The mayor framed the change as both a public safety measure and a way to reduce fear in immigrant communities: “It will improve our public safety, it will reduce the fear and anxiety of students, our workers.” He added that he would take responsibility for the policy shift despite having two months remaining in the current administration.
Previous Clash With State Officials
This marks the second time this year Houston has adjusted its ICE cooperation policies. In April, the city council initially passed an ordinance barring ICE holds entirely, but revised it weeks later under threat from Governor Greg Abbott’s administration to withhold over $110 million in public safety grants.
At the time, Whitmire—then a council member—voted for the initial ordinance but later supported the compromise version. “I had to listen” to Abbott, Whitmire acknowledged Friday, “because our finances were at stake.” Texas law requires grant recipients to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
Political Context
The policy change comes after Democratic gains in Texas elections and amid ongoing tensions between local governments and the state over immigration enforcement. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat, has been critical of Abbott’s immigration policies, vowing during her campaign: “As governor, I will never offer up Texas as a staging ground for operations that terrorize families.”
Whitmire suggested he hopes Houston’s approach could influence other Texas cities, mentioning he’s been “in contact with the new state leadership.” The order takes immediate effect, significantly altering how Houston officers interact with federal immigration authorities during routine policing.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-mayor-rolls-back-ice-cooperation-after-blue-wave