HOUSTON: Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced on Friday that he has issued an executive order directing the Houston Police Department (HPD) to reduce its cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The directive limits when local officers can contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding civil immigration warrants.
Under the new policy, HPD officers are prohibited from detaining individuals solely on the basis of a civil immigration warrant. Officers may only contact ICE if the person in question is also charged with a jailable offense. This represents a significant shift from the department’s previous protocols, which had drawn public scrutiny over the past year.
“I do this to begin a healing process, reduce fear and anxiety across our community,” Whitmire said during a press conference on Friday. “I also do this knowing that elections matter.”
Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz clarified the practical application of the order for residents. He noted that if an officer stops a person for a minor traffic infraction and issues a citation, the department will no longer contact ICE, provided there is no accompanying jailable offense. “HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and they are not arrested,” Diaz said.
This policy change follows a period of political tension regarding the city’s stance on immigration enforcement. In April, the city council attempted to limit coordination with federal agents, but the measure was reversed after Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withhold more than $110 million in public safety funding. At that time, city officials were required to detain individuals for a reasonable period while awaiting an ICE response.
City Council Member Alejandra Salinas, who supported the initial effort to limit ICE cooperation, praised the mayor’s latest announcement. “Today, we acknowledged the fear that we had been causing, and I’m so grateful that we can put those days behind us,” Salinas said. “I commend the mayor and Chief Diaz for finally listening to the calls of community and taking this decisive action.”
According to HPD data, officers contacted ICE nearly 200 times between April and September of this year. This included at least 36 instances where individuals were handed directly to federal agents. Some of these interactions occurred after residents contacted emergency services for assistance with mental health crises or domestic violence incidents. While the new executive order changes the interaction policy, the requirement for the department to provide regular reports on these contacts remains in effect.
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