Houston changes ordinance limiting cooperation with ICE after pressure from governor

HOUSTON– A Houston city ordinance that limited police cooperation with federal immigration agents was amended Wednesday after the Texas governor threatened to withdraw millions of dollars in public safety grants.

Two weeks ago, the Houston City Council passed an ordinance removing the requirement for Houston police officers to wait 30 minutes before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrest a person with a non-judicial administrative warrant. If ICE agents did not show up on time, officers would take a detained person’s information and then release them.

But Gov. Greg Abbott warned city officials that the new order and its limitations on cooperation with ICE agents violated the terms of the $110 million in state grants Houston received for policing and security at the World Cup matches the city hosts in June.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had also filed a lawsuit against Mayor John Whitmire and city council members over the order, accusing them of violating a 2017 state law that prevents cities from adopting policies limiting immigration enforcement.

After more than two hours of discussion at its weekly meeting, the Houston City Council voted 13-4 to make changes to the ordinance. Whitmire said he consulted with Abbott’s office about making changes that would prevent Houston from losing funding.

The amended order removes language that emphasized that administrative warrants — as opposed to warrants signed by a judge — that ICE agents use to arrest individuals are not sufficient for agents to arrest or detain an individual.

“We have no alternative for Houston to survive, prepare for (the World Cup), patrol these neighborhoods,” Whitmire said. “We need to restore the $114 million today.”

Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Wednesday.

Council Member Abbie Kamin, one of three members who had pushed for the ordinance, voted against his amendment, saying it amounted to giving in to the intimidation tactics of state leaders.

“If we turn to a bully now, what will he come for next? » said Kamin.

Houston is not alone in its fight against the governor. The Republican made similar threats against Dallas and Austin, which are also Democratic strongholds with similar law enforcement and immigration policies.

Combined, the three cities could lose about $200 million in public safety funding, tens of millions of which are expected to cover security at World Cup matches this summer.

Dallas officials said they were committed to public safety and would respond to Abbott’s threat by Thursday.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, a moderate Democrat, said the local policy complied with state law. He said Abbott’s threat to cut nearly $3 million in Austin would cut trauma support for police officers and victims of sexual assault.

“We don’t have time and we won’t play in this political theater,” Watson said.

Austin officials have since indicated they may try to negotiate with Abbott.

The debate in Houston and other Texas cities comes amid aggressive federal enforcement of immigration laws. Whitmire and other local leaders in many left-leaning urban areas of Texas have tried to avoid attracting federal attention amid the aggressive immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration.

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Associated Press writer Jim Vertuno in Austin contributed to this report.

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