The Democratic mayor of the nation’s fourth-largest city is scaling back cooperation with federal immigration officials, despite an executive order from outgoing Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatening to withhold millions of dollars in state funding from jurisdictions that refuse to comply.
After Texas turned blue for the first time since James Talarico, the state’s newly elected senator, was born, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Friday that the city would impose new limits on cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Whitmire told The New York Times that Houston police may not alert ICE when they encounter an undocumented immigrant during “nonviolent contacts,” including traffic stops and investigations involving minor offenses.
“If they’re charged with a new crime, we’ll let ICE know as we get them to the jailhouse,” Whitmire told the newspaper Friday.
Abbott lost his bid for a fourth term Tuesday, while Talarico flipped one of Texas’ Senate seats for Democrats. The victory marked the first time since former Clinton Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen won his final reelection campaign in 1988 — seven months before Talarico was born.
Texas’ most recent Democratic governor, Ann Richards — the mother of former longtime Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards — was elected soon afterward, in 1990.
Whitmire did not respond to a request for comment but indicated to The Times that Abbott’s order, which requires contact with the Department of Homeland Security, contributed to “anxiety” among Houston residents.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, Whitmire said he had “signed an executive order directing HPD to no longer contact ICE for nonviolent offenses, helping reduce fear in our communities.” He thanked Police Chief Diaz as well as state and local officials for their cooperation, calling the move “a step toward building a stronger Houston.”
Although Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa will not take office until January, Whitmire defended the change as a “responsible” decision and a “more effective policy.”
A DHS spokesperson criticized the move in comments to Fox News Digital.
“We remain disappointed that sanctuary politicians seek to limit cooperation with ICE, as our law enforcement are simply fulfilling their sworn duties to serve and protect our communities,” the spokesperson said.
“Partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest criminal illegal aliens across the country. Seven of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE.
“When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities.”
The spokesperson cited several criminal illegal aliens recently apprehended by ICE in Houston, including Cuban national Alexander Montano, who was convicted of willful homicide, burglary and forcibly entering a residence.
The agency also pointed to Vietnamese national Ding Nguyen, who was convicted of homicide, and Guatemalan national Julio Camey, who was convicted of a sex offense against a child.
“You write a citation or you warn them, and they go about their way. No contact with [ICE] over nonviolent, non-jailable offenses,” Whitmire told The Associated Press.
A policy Whitmire and Police Chief Noe Diaz adopted in March required a sergeant to supervise ICE involvement if a background check during a stop uncovered an immigration-related warrant, according to Houston’s Fox affiliate.
Under that policy, the individual was to be released if ICE agents failed to arrive within 30 minutes.
The Houston City Council later approved an ordinance in April limiting how long officers could hold people while waiting for ICE agents. Whitmire supported revisions after Abbott threatened to withhold more than $100 million in state funding and then-Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into Houston’s immigration policies.
The revised rules gave officers broader discretion to contact ICE and wait for federal agents during encounters involving civil immigration warrants.
Whitmire’s latest order reverses that approach by limiting notifications to cases involving offenses punishable by jail time, effectively restoring the restrictions city lawmakers initially sought.