Houston will consider walking back a new ordinance limiting cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents, as the city faces an investigation and threats of funding cuts from Republican state leaders.<\/p>\n
In March, Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz and Mayor John Whitmire announced a new rule directing local law enforcement to wait 30 minutes for federal agents to arrive at the scene, if they encounter people with administrative immigration warrants during situations like traffic stops. But on April 8, the city council voted overwhelmingly for an ordinance<\/a> to stop that practice, while also requiring the Houston Police Department to deliver quarterly reports on its coordination with ICE. <\/p>\n Two days later, Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a>\u2019s office launched an investigation, alleging the ordinance violates Senate Bill 4, which bans cities from adopting policies that \u201cmaterially limit\u201d immigration enforcement. It says that the requirements would have a \u201cchilling effect\u201d on Houston police\u2019s cooperation with federal agents, though the measure\u2019s backers said the ordinance only undoes a previous city policy that went beyond what state law mandates on the city\u2019s engagement with ICE.<\/p>\n State leaders then turned up the dial Monday, as Gov. Greg Abbott<\/a>\u2019s office threatened<\/a> to withdraw $110 million in public safety grants from the city and block it from future funding \u2014 if the ordinance stays.<\/p>\n In response, the city council is now expected to hold a special meeting and consider whether to repeal the ordinance Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a crisis situation,\u201d Mayor John Whitmire said in a Monday social media post. <\/p>\n Whitmire was one of the 12 people who voted in favor of the ordinance, despite previously downplaying Houston police\u2019s cooperation with ICE before acknowledging it in November<\/a>. The Houston Chronicle also reported<\/a> that the mayor felt that the ordinance \u201ccodified existing policy,\u201d despite the measure eliminating a part of the ICE directive he announced in March.<\/p>\n \u201cThe potential loss of state funding poses real challenges for the Houston Police and Fire Departments and will impact public safety services across our city, the 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations and the Homeland Security Department,\u201d he added. \u201cOur public safety departments rely on a combination of local, state, and federal resources to operate effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitmire then told local media outlets<\/a> Tuesday that the city\u2019s ability to access the fund was already cut Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n Though, in the letter to the mayor, Abbott\u2019s office said the city must respond by April 20 to confirm that it will act to repeal the ordinance or risk the grants\u2019 termination. The governor\u2019s office didn\u2019t respond to the Texas Tribune\u2019s questions about this cutoff and instead referred to a Tuesday social media post<\/a> from the governor.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they refuse to comply, they better get out their check book,\u201d Abbott said in the post. \u201cIt will be costly if they refuse to keep their streets safe.\u201d <\/p>\n Paxton\u2019s office didn\u2019t immediately respond to a comment request. <\/p>\n Council member Alejandra Salinas, who led the push for the ordinance, said in a Tuesday statement that the city should challenge Abbott\u2019s threat on the public safety funding in court instead of immediately bowing to the governor\u2019s demand. <\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t, we set a dangerous precedent that the State can bulldoze lawful city policies and constitutional rights whenever it chooses. Houstonians deserve a City willing to fight for them, defend our laws, and protect our residents,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n