TEXAS — Houston City Council voted to change how the Houston Police Department (HPD) works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

In an April 8 council meeting, 12 members voted in favor of Proposition A, an ordinance stating that when an officer conducts a field encounter —such as a traffic stop — and the person in question has an administrative warrant from ICE, HPD cannot prolong the stop longer than necessary.

Five city council members voted against the measure.

Before Houston City Council passed the new ordinance, HPD officers had to wait 30 minutes for ICE to arrive on the scene for someone with an administrative warrant.

“Be that one minute, 30 minutes, or an hour, there is no timer on when the Fourth Amendment goes into effect,” said Abbie Kamin, representing Houston’s C District.

According to some council members like Kamin, an administrative warrant does not require officers to detain or arrest an individual, as opposed to a criminal or judicial warrant. Those require officers to work with ICE because the person in question is suspected of a crime.

The 12 approving members, including Houston Mayor John Whitmire, celebrated the move. The five council members who voted against the ordinance, however, say this puts the city in a difficult position.

“This measure may create unintended risks to our public safety,” said Amy Peck, from Houston’s A District. “Placing a national spotlight on Houston could lead to situations for our community and law enforcement.”

The Houston Police Officers’ Union also took a similar stance on the ordinance.

In a statement posted to Facebook Wednesday night, Douglas Griffith, the union president, said, “As one of the most diverse and educated law enforcement agencies in the nation, it is sad that council members believe they are most versed in police matters than those who actually do the job.”

“This puts our officers in a very dangerous position,” Griffith continued. “If we release an individual with a warrant and they go on to victimize a citizen of this city, our department and the individual officer can be held liable.”

Whitmire stood firm on the vote.

“It’s an emotional issue,” the mayor said. “People can disagree; I’m sorry that some of our witnesses and speakers have tried to politicize it.”

Along with the new waiting structure, the ordinance also calls for HPD to track and record when its resources are used for assisting federal law enforcement.

The City of San Antonio has a similar reporting policy in place. Council members in the South Texas city voted for San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) to track when ICE requests help from the department.

An April 1 memo from SAPD shows there have only been three requests made from ICE so far: twice in March, and once in early April.

San Antonio council members also met on April 8, discussing several agenda items related to the city’s relationship with ICE.

Officials are currently working on a reporting system where people can report possible state or federal violations committed by ICE. The city is trying to determine whether their offices or a third-party organization will handle the reporting.

However, officials in the April 8 meeting said that while the city can record alleged violations by ICE, the city cannot act on any of the alleged violations.

Council members also discussed cutting ties with entities and businesses that support ICE.

Spectrum News reached out to the Austin Police Department (APD) for their policies on working with ICE. The agency shared their general orders and policies, which shares a similar policy to Houston’s in that an administrative warrant is a civil matter and does not require an arrest.

The Dallas Police Department leans more towards trusting officers’ judgement. The department shared a statement, saying, “Officers may, but are not required, to volunteer information about a lawfully detained or arrested person’s immigration status with ICE or other law enforcement agencies either after releasing the individual or during the seizure, provided that this communication does not prolong the seizure.”

Read the full ordinance here: