Houston mayor orders police to limit ICE cooperation after Democratic gains in Texas

Houston's mayor issued an executive order on Nov. 6 directing the police department to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement only when the agency presents a warrant for a person charged with a jailable offense. The order removes immigration status alone as a basis for notifying ICE or holding individuals in custody.

"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," Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said. "HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and they are not arrested."

The change follows recent Democratic victories in congressional and statewide races in Texas, including the election of a Democratic governor and a Democratic senator. The city had previously limited ICE cooperation through a city council ordinance passed in April, which prohibited officers from extending stops to wait for immigration agents.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott had warned that the city could lose about $110 million in public-safety grants if the ordinance were not repealed, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had raised legal concerns about limiting immigration enforcement.

Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat, said the policy aims to reduce fear and anxiety across the city and emphasized that immigration enforcement should be a nonpartisan issue.

Local immigrant-rights group FIEL Houston welcomed the order, saying the community can now "breathe easier."