Kyle McClenagan/Houston Public Media
A Houston Police Department vehicle on July 9, 2026.
The Houston City Council could approve an application for a “Model Cities Initiative” grant administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday.
Under the grant guidelines, cities “must ensure that their initiatives align” with a number of DOJ priorities, “including immigration law enforcement operations.”
In response to questions about the application, a spokesperson for Mayor John Whitmire said the city was “reviewing the possibility of applying for a grant as part of the Model City Initiative.”
Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.
“At this time, we are in the process of requesting clarification about the conditions and guidelines attached to these grants,” the spokesperson told Houston Public Media in a written statement.
Whitmire’s office did not answer questions about how much funding the city would seek or how the money would be used.
The city’s interaction with federal immigration enforcement has been a source of deep contention under Whitmire.
When Houston Police Department officers encounter people with civil immigration warrants, they’re required to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
Those calls, and the amount of time people have been detained — up to three hours in one case this year, have prompted a reform effort from some city council members and a lawsuit from a man who was deported.
Council member Alejandra Salinas spearheaded a push to prohibit HPD officers from waiting for ICE — a measure reversed by the city council after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to revoke more than $110 million in public safety funding to the city, arguing the grant guidelines required cooperation with ICE.
Salinas’ chief of staff, Chris Chu de León, said in an email that her office had “several outstanding questions … regarding what this grant may require related to supporting immigration enforcement operations.”
President Donald Trump’s DOJ issued a press release announcing the $300 million Model Cities Initiative in June under the banner of “Make America Safe Again.”
“This administration is leveraging every authority to ensure the safety of all Americans,” then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the press release. “The Model Cities Initiative will supercharge our law enforcement partners and restore the rule of law to America’s neighborhoods, towns, and cities.”
According to the DOJ press release, the grants can support hiring and retention of police officers, law enforcement equipment and technology, victim services and youth crime prevention, among other activates.
DOJ representatives did not respond to questions about the grant.