![\"Galveston](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DSC_0202-1000x667.jpg\")
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Julianna Washburn\/Houston Public Media<\/p>\n
A protestor holds a sign that states \u201chold ICE liable\u201d at a demonstration along Seawall Boulevard on Feb. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
Harris County commissioners are set to discuss county-level guidelines on immigration enforcement Thursday, after a controversial policy was passed by Houston City Council to curtail ICE coordination. <\/p>\n
Commissioner Rodney Ellis placed the discussion item on the agenda this week in response to the city council\u2019s recent ordinance to cut back on ICE interactions \u2014 which drew a threat by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to claw back $110 million in public safety grants for the city. <\/p>\n
In a statement, Ellis called the upcoming discussion one part of a broader public safety conversation. He said he\u2019s bringing the motion to discuss policies related to traffic stops because those interactions \u201chave been a common entry point for ICE-related abuses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Hello, Houston!<\/a> daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n “Immigrant communities are inseparable from the story of Harris County,\u201d he said. \u201cThe job of any elected official \u2014 whether you’re in county, city, state, or federal office \u2014 is to ask what we can do, within the law, to keep the people we serve safe,\u201d Ellis said.<\/p>\n RELATED: Houston faces \u2018crisis situation’: Abbott threatens loss of $110 million after HPD-ICE policy change<\/a><\/p>\n The commissioner plans to direct the office of county administration and the county attorney\u2019s office to come back with policy proposals on county immigration enforcement practices in June, a spokesperson said. <\/p>\n The Houston City Council\u2019s new directive halts a previous policy requiring Houston Police Department officers to give ICE agents 30 minutes to respond to traffic stops and serve out administrative immigration warrants. <\/p>\n The Houston Police Department is required to report to the Houston City Council, which appoints police chiefs and sets operational guidelines for the law enforcement agency. <\/p>\n The Harris County Sheriff\u2019s Office, however, operates under an elected sheriff and as an independent entity from commissioners court. The court only oversees the office\u2019s funding \u2014 and the budgets of the county\u2019s eight elected constables\u2019 offices.<\/p>\n The sheriff\u2019s office coordinates with federal immigration officers through mandated detainers in the Harris County Jail. Last year, the state passed legislation giving jail staff authority to issue immigration detainers, known as 287(g) agreements. <\/p>\n