Houston Mayor John Whitmire has issued an executive order to stop city police from notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about individuals encountered during nonviolent, non-jailable offenses. This decision follows the recent election shift in Texas, where the state swung Democratic for the first time in decades.
Whitmire's directive, announced Friday, prohibits Houston police officers from alerting ICE about undocumented immigrants encountered in "nonviolent contacts" such as traffic stops or minor offenses. However, the mayor stated that police will notify ICE if an individual is charged with a new crime and taken to jail.
This move marks a reversal from a previous policy and comes after former Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order that threatened to withhold state funding from cities that did not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The election saw the defeat of Abbott and the flip of a Texas Senate seat to Democrat James Talarico, the first such statewide Democratic victory since 1988.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Whitmire said the order was intended "to reduce fear in our communities." He acknowledged that Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa would not take office until January but described his decision as a "responsible" and "more effective policy."
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson expressed disappointment, stating that "sanctuary politicians seek to limit cooperation with ICE" and that law enforcement officers are fulfilling their duties. The spokesperson also noted that many of the safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE, and that limiting cooperation allows criminals to remain in communities.
Previous policies in Houston had varied. An ordinance approved in April by the Houston City Council limited how long officers could detain individuals awaiting ICE agents. This followed pressure from Abbott and then-Attorney General Ken Paxton, which led to revisions that restored greater discretion for officers to contact ICE for civil immigration warrants. Whitmire's latest order effectively returns to more restrictive notification policies for non-jailable offenses.