Houston Mayor Whitmire Orders Police to Limit ICE Cooperation After 2026 Midterms
Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order restricting Houston police collaboration with ICE, citing the recent Democratic victories in the 2026 elections.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive action on Friday directing the Houston Police Department to end routine cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The order limits contact with ICE to cases involving jailable offenses, a shift Whitmire said aims to rebuild trust and reduce fear in the city’s communities.
"Elections matter," Whitmire told reporters, adding, "I was on the Senate floor when SB 4 was approved. I voted against it because we were concerned about the fear, the anxiety that it would create."
The policy change follows the 2026 midterm elections, in which Democrats secured every statewide seat and the statehouse in Texas, removing the perceived risk of retaliation under the state’s SB 4 law that had previously prohibited sanctuary policies. Earlier in the year, a federal immigration agent was charged with aggravated assault after a vehicle collision during an ICE raid in Houston, and a separate incident in September involved the shooting of a Venezuelan man during a traffic stop, sparking protests in Austin.