Houston mayor orders police to limit cooperation with ICE
Seven Lights
The mayor of Houston, John Whitmire, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Friday directing the city’s police department to sharply limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The move reverses the policy set by Governor Greg Abbott, who lost his re-election bid in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Under the order, Houston police officers will contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement only when a person arrested for a jailable offense also has an administrative ICE warrant, a document issued internally by the Department of Homeland Security. Police chief Noe Diaz said officers previously were required to notify ICE whenever anyone they dealt with surfaced in the National Crime Information Center database with such a warrant attached. A driver stopped for a minor traffic infraction, he said, will now “receive a citation and go about their day.”
Mr. Whitmire said police would still alert ICE when someone is charged with a new crime and taken to jail. “I do this to begin a healing process,” he said Friday, and to “reduce fear and anxiety across our community.” He added: “I also do this knowing that elections matter.”
The decision follows months of public outcry in Houston after an ICE officer fatally shot a man who was driving to work. It also follows Texas Democrats’ strongest midterm performance in a generation: James Talarico won the state’s US Senate seat, and Gina Hinojosa was elected governor. Ms. Hinojosa takes office in January. Mr. Abbott’s executive order had required contact with the Department of Homeland Security and threatened the loss of millions of dollars in state funding for noncompliance.
Mr. Whitmire acknowledged the governor-elect would not take office until January but called his own decision “responsible” and “more effective policy.” He also called on Congress to change federal immigration laws. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized the move. The city faces the question of whether the state funding requirement survives Mr. Abbott’s defeat; the new governor’s position is not yet settled.