Mayor of Houston limits local police cooperation with federal ICE authorities

The mayor of Houston, Texas, John Whitmire, has instructed the city's police to restrict collaboration with federal immigration officials, ICE. This decision follows significant victories for the Democratic party in Texas' recent midterm elections, which overturned the policies of Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican. Whitmire stated that his aim is to foster healing and alleviate fear and anxiety in the community. He emphasised his awareness of the relevance of elections.

Following this directive, Houston police chief Noe Diaz announced that officers will only communicate with ICE if an arrested individual, detained for a minor offence, also holds an administrative ICE warrant. These warrants are issued internally by the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. For instance, if police stop someone for a minor traffic violation and issue a citation, the person can proceed without further action.

Previously, Houston police were mandated to inform ICE if someone they were dealing with had a warrant on file in the National Crime Information Center, a digital database containing records of wanted persons, stolen property, missing individuals, and those arrested for serious crimes.

Whitmire directed the Houston Police Department to implement these changes through an executive order. He also called for Congress to revise federal immigration rules, stressing the need for better training for ICE personnel, including body cameras and de-escalation techniques. Whitmire suggested these changes could only be enacted in Washington.

The Department of Homeland Security responded with disappointment, asserting that politicians advocating for sanctuary policies limit cooperation with ICE, as their law enforcement officers are merely fulfilling their duties to serve and protect the community.

Austin, another Texas city, has also adopted a similar policy change. Both cities are located in Texas, which switched from being a Republican stronghold to a Democratic stronghold during the midterms, electing its first Latina governor, Gina Hinojosa, as the first Democrat since 1995, and its first Democratic senator since 1988.

Whitmire has faced previous criticism for adhering to immigration enforcement policies under the Trump administration, resisting calls to alter these policies due to potential backlash from the White House. Abbott has threatened to withhold millions of dollars in funding from cities like Houston, Dallas, and Austin unless they cooperate fully with federal immigration officials. The BBC reached out to Abbott’s office for comment.