Houston cuts police cooperation with ICE after Democrats flip Texas

On November 6, Houston’s mayor ordered his police force to cooperate less with ICE, a decision made days after Democrats won back the majority in Congress and swept Texas’ statewide elections.

The executive order directs Houston police to contact ICE only when the federal agency has a warrant for the arrest of a person accused of a jailable offense. The guidance clarifies that suspicion of immigration enforcement in itself no longer constitutes a basis for contacting ICE or holding a person in custody.

“For example, if our officers stop someone for a minor traffic violation and they write a citation, that person gets a citation and goes about their business,” Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said. “HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and are not arrested.”

The move is a reversal from the federal government’s aggressive immigration agenda nationally and in Houston, where federal immigration agents gunned down a Mexican homebuilder this summer. Texas is historically a Republican stronghold.

The directive is not the first time Houston city officials have attempted to limit police cooperation with ICE. In April, the City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting officers from detaining someone or extending their detention longer to wait for ICE.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who aligned himself with Trump’s immigration policies, threatened to withdraw about $110 million in public safety grants from Houston if Houston did not repeal the order. The policy also faced legal scrutiny from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for “materially limiting” immigration enforcement.