Houston Mayor Orders Police to Restrict ICE Cooperation

Houston Mayor John Whitmire issued an executive order on Friday requiring the city's police department to limit its cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The directive breaks from the previous approach aligned with Republican leadership. Whitmire stated the move is intended to begin a healing process and reduce fear and anxiety within the community. He also noted that the decision reflects the outcome of recent elections.

Under the new guidelines outlined by Police Chief Noe Diaz, officers will only contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a person arrested for a jailable offense also holds an administrative ICE warrant. These warrants are issued internally by the Department of Homeland Security. Diaz explained that a person cited for a minor traffic infraction would receive a citation and proceed with their day without an ICE notification. Previously, officers were required to alert ICE whenever a name check in the National Crime Information Center database returned such a warrant.

Whitmire urged Congress to overhaul federal immigration rules, arguing that ICE requires better training, body cameras, and de-escalation techniques. He acknowledged that these changes can only be implemented in Washington, D.C. The Department of Homeland Security responded to the move with disappointment. A spokesperson told NBC affiliate KPRC 2 that sanctuary politicians are limiting cooperation while law enforcement fulfills their sworn duties. The agency emphasized that partnerships are essential for arresting criminal illegal aliens across the country.

The policy shift follows months of public anger in Houston over the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. The 52-year-old Mexican national, who had lived in the United States as an undocumented immigrant for decades, was shot and killed while driving to work earlier this year. Officials later determined he was not the intended target. Large protests erupted in the city in response. The announcement also came one week after an ICE officer was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly hitting a man with a vehicle in Texas.

The political context for the order includes Tuesday's midterm elections, in which Democrats captured both the US Senate and the House of Representatives. Texas elected its first Latina governor, Gina Hinojosa, and its first Democratic senator since 1988. Hinojosa becomes the state's first Democratic governor since 1995. Abbott lost his re-election bid in this cycle.

Whitmire has previously resisted calls for this change due to fears the White House might send more immigration officials to the city. Abbott had threatened to pull millions of dollars in funding from Houston, Dallas, and Austin unless they allowed full police cooperation with federal agencies. The BBC contacted Abbott's office for comment. Austin has also begun implementing a similar policy. The next major step involves the new Texas legislative leadership taking office after the election.