Houston mayor signs order to limit cooperation with ICE, says ‘elections matter’ after Democrats win

Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced on Friday that the city would reduce its cooperation with federal immigration authorities, calling it a "new model" of immigration enforcement following Democrats' victory in Texas elections. The mayor stated that Houston would target only those immigrants posing a danger, not those leading family lives, working, or pursuing education.

In a traffic incident, officers would only issue citations or warnings and would not contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over nonviolent, non-jailable offenses. This move by Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, is one of the initial steps to curb ICE's powers after Tuesday's election. The two-page order specifies that ICE should only be contacted if the detained person is arrested on a charge subject to jailing or if ICE presents an administrative warrant.

The city aims to alleviate the fear and anxiety surrounding immigration enforcement. The Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Houston led to protests following ICE officer-involved incidents, including the fatal shooting of a Mexican homebuilder and another officer striking a man with a car. ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales has been indicted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after ramming his car into Miguel Parra Hernandez, whose leg was broken.

ICE has relied on local law enforcement to detain and deport individuals, often signing agreements to deputize state and local agencies to enforce immigration laws. Texas, a primary target for ICE arrests, saw Governor Greg Abbott lose his re-election bid to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. FIEL, an immigrant rights group in Houston, had been collaborating with Parra Hernandez's family and planned a press conference to follow up on the mayor's decision.