Houston mayor orders police to limit cooperation with ICE

Houston Mayor John Whitmire has directed the city's police department to limit cooperation with federal immigration officials, signing an executive order on Friday.

The new policy

Under the executive order, Houston police officers will contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) only when a person is arrested on a charge subject to jailing or when ICE issues an administrative warrant. Officers will no longer be allowed to detain people solely due to civil immigration warrants, and they are prohibited from contacting ICE about those warrants unless the person is charged with a jailable offense.

Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said: "For example, if our police officers pull someone over for a minor traffic infraction and they write a citation, that person receives a citation and goes about their day."

The order also prohibits officers from prolonging a detention or taking someone into custody solely on immigration-related grounds. If a person is not otherwise being sent to jail on new charges or other warrants, officers must not contact ICE about that individual.

Why the mayor acted

Whitmire, a Democrat, said he issued the order to "begin a healing process" and to "reduce fear and anxiety across our community." He added: "I also do this knowing that elections matter."

The change follows months of public outcry in Houston after an ICE officer fatally shot a man who was driving to work. The deceased, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national who lived in the US as an undocumented immigrant for decades, was not the intended target, officials said after the incident. Last week, a grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly hit a man with a vehicle in Texas.

Whitmire also called on Congress to change federal immigration rules, saying: "ICE needs better training. They need body cameras. They need to be trained in de-escalation." He added: "But this can only be done in Washington. I can only control what I can control."

Reaction

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Houston's NBC affiliate, KPRC 2: "We remain disappointed that sanctuary politicians seek to limit cooperation with ICE, as our law enforcement are simply fulfilling their sworn duties to serve and protect our communities." The spokesperson added: "Partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest criminal illegal aliens across the country."

In a post to social media, ICE argued Whitmire was "directly advocating for policies that protect some of the worst criminals in America."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened to take millions in funds from cities like Houston, Dallas and Austin unless they allow police to cooperate fully with federal immigration officials. In April, he had threatened to take away nearly $200 million in public safety grants from Austin, Dallas and Houston after city officials in Houston tried to limit police officers' cooperation with ICE. Abbott nor the Texas Attorney General's Office immediately responded to a request to comment regarding Whitmire's announcement.

Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas, who spearheaded an ordinance in April to curtail the department's coordination with federal immigration agents, told Houston Public Media the policy change was a "great step forward." She said: "Today, we acknowledged the fear that we had been causing, and I'm so grateful that we can put those days behind us."

Why it matters

The order marks a significant shift in the nation's fourth-largest city's approach to federal immigration enforcement. It comes after Democrats won the Texas governor's race and other statewide offices in Tuesday's midterm elections, with Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeating Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The change is one of the first actions to restrict ICE operations in response to the election results.

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Sources

• bbc.com: Texas mayor instructs police to limit co-operation with ICE
• houstonpublicmedia.org: Houston Mayor John Whitmire directs HPD to reduce cooperation with ICE after midterm results – Houston Public Media
• abc13.com: Houston Mayor Whitmire signs order to limit cooperation with ICE, says 'elections matter' after Democrats win - ABC13 Houston
• apnews.com: Houston mayor signs order to limit cooperation with ICE | AP News
• aa.com.tr: Mayor of Houston, Texas orders police to limit cooperation with ICE after election results

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.