The community discussion comes a month after a Honduran immigrant and her child were deported after Austin police responded to a home and called ICE.

AUSTIN, Texas — Emotions ran high at Govalle Elementary in East Austin Thursday night. 

The hour long conversation between Austinites and Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis comes a month after a 911 call led to a Honduran mother and her 5-year-old daughter getting deported. Officers responding to the house called Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) after learning the mother had an administrative warrant. 

Administrative warrants allow federal immigration officers to arrest someone suspected of an immigration violation. 

“The Austin Police Department does not ask immigration status,” Chief Davis said. 

She quickly took questions from the community. Many of them asking about policy when finding out someone has an administrative warrant. 

“Believe me a majority of officers are not calling ICE,” Chief Davis said. “Everyday officers run into administrative warrants and not do anything about it.”

It is Texas law for law enforcement to cooperate with ICE. Many in attendance demanded APD to more serve the community. 

“How could you be expected to not know enough, but we have to know it all?” an attendee asked, having accused the department of not being on the same page with protocol when dealing with administrative warrants. 

The conversation continued after the event. Chief Davis taking more questions directly from the community, up close and off stage. 

The chief also told the community she would have more conversations with her department on how to better handle administrative warrants. She mentioned that these decisions would be out of an officer’s hands, and will be made by a commanding officer. That was in response to a woman asking what can she and her community do when officers have the discretion of making a call to ICE when learning an individual has an administrative warrant.Â