Houston Mayor Limits Police Cooperation with ICE Following State Election Shifts

Houston Mayor John Whitmire has issued an executive order significantly curtailing the Houston Police Department's collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This directive, announced on Friday, follows recent Democratic victories in statewide elections within Texas. Under the new policy, Houston police will only engage with ICE when an individual is being arrested for a jailable offense, as reported by Reuters. Mayor Whitmire stated that he had conferred with Texas's newly elected governor, lieutenant governor, and comptroller prior to issuing the order, emphasizing its aim to alleviate fear and anxiety within the city. "Elections matter," Whitmire told reporters, framing the executive order as a step towards a "healing process" and expressing hope that it would serve as a model for other Texas cities. Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz affirmed his support for the policy change, noting that his department had already begun its implementation. The revised rules mean that individuals stopped for minor traffic violations will no longer be automatically referred to ICE if they possess an administrative immigration warrant. This decision overturns a previous policy Whitmire had enacted in April under pressure from outgoing Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott had previously threatened to withhold approximately $110 million in state public safety grants, asserting that a city council ordinance restricting police cooperation with ICE violated Senate Bill 4, a 2017 state law prohibiting local police from limiting such collaboration with federal immigration authorities. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had also initiated legal action against the mayor, city council, and police chief concerning the ordinance. "We're taking an interpretation of the law today, working with the newly elected members of the state leadership, in implementing this policy," Whitmire explained, adding, "We don’t want people to worry about their workers, their family members, their students." The issue has garnered considerable attention in Houston. The Houston Chronicle reported that city police had contacted ICE at least 107 times in the first eight months of 2025, a substantial increase from nine times in the entirety of 2024. In July, an ICE agent fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a long-term resident of Houston. FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights organization, hailed the order as a victory for the city, though they noted it was long overdue. "Today Houston won. Today our community can breathe easier," stated FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa in a message to KPRC. Mayor Whitmire anticipates that Houston's new approach will influence other municipalities. In Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson has requested city officials to review their own policies regarding ICE warrants.