HOUSTON — Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order Friday that sharply narrows when Houston police officers may reach out to federal immigration agents, a shift he tied directly to Democratic gains in Tuesday’s elections.
Under the order, officers may contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about a civil immigration warrant only if that person also faces a charge that carries jail time. Officers can no longer hold anyone based only on such a warrant. Police Chief Noe Diaz said a driver ticketed for a minor traffic violation would simply get the citation and leave.
Until now, officers had to alert ICE whenever a person they checked in the national crime database showed one of these administrative warrants, which are issued inside the Department of Homeland Security rather than by a judge.
The city tried a similar step in April, when the City Council gave officers discretion and barred detentions over civil warrants. Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull more than $110 million in public safety money, and the council reversed course. A reporting requirement from that measure stayed in place, and the department’s own reports show close to 200 ICE contacts between April and September, handing at least 36 people directly to federal agents.
Whitmire said the change is meant to ease fear in the community, and he urged Congress to require more training and body cameras for ICE agents. Austin has begun a similar policy change.
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