Houston Mayor Limits Police Contact With ICE After Midterm Shift
A new executive order restricts when local officers can notify federal agents, a move linked to Democrats winning state control in Tuesday's elections.
By Harper Foster ·
Texas state government changed hands in Tuesday's midterm elections, and local leaders in the state's largest city moved quickly to adjust their relationship with federal immigration authorities.
Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Friday directing the Houston Police Department to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The directive is one of the first local actions taken to restrict ICE operations following the Democratic victory, which included Gina Hinojosa defeating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to become the state's first Latina governor.
Whitmire described the move as a direct response to the election results. "I've said many times, elections matter," he said. The order clarifies that being subject to immigration enforcement, or being suspected of it, is not enough reason to contact ICE, extend a detention, or hold someone in custody.
Under the new rules, Houston police will only notify ICE if a stopped individual is arrested on a charge that involves jail time or if ICE issues an administrative warrant. An administrative warrant is a document signed by a senior ICE official indicating that a person is wanted by immigration authorities. Whitmire explained that the city will focus on immigrants who pose a danger rather than those handling family matters, work, or education. In traffic incidents, officers will issue a citation or a warning and let the driver continue.
A grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales last week for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors allege he intentionally rammed his car into Miguel Parra Hernandez, breaking Hernandez's leg. ICE claimed Hernandez ran into the vehicle, but prosecutors say video evidence contradicts that account. These incidents have fueled protests in Houston regarding the city's previous close ties with federal agents.
ICE relies heavily on local police to identify and detain people for deportation. The agency has signed roughly 2,600 agreements with local and state agencies to help with enforcement. Abbott had previously threatened to withhold nearly $200 million in public safety grants from Houston, Dallas, and Austin after the city council passed an ordinance limiting police cooperation with ICE. Attorney General Ken Paxton also sued the city, claiming it violated a 2017 state law.
Cesar Espinosa, executive director of the immigrant rights group FIEL, said the new order provides a sense of relief for local communities. "It gives our community a sigh of relief in that we know of many people in the city of Houston that will not even go to the grocery store because they're afraid that they're going to get caught up by ICE or they're gonna get pulled over by HPD and HPD is gonna call ICE on them," Espinosa said.
Spokespeople for ICE did not respond to an email seeking comment on the mayor's announcement. FIEL planned a press conference for Friday afternoon to discuss the implications of the new directive for immigrant residents in the nation's fourth-largest city.
