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Dominic Anthony Walsh \/ Houston Public Media<\/p>\n
Houston Mayor John Whitmire calls for the city council to repeal an ordinance on April 14, 2026.<\/p>\n
Houston Mayor John Whitmire faces a test of his political influence as he reacts to a threat by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. <\/p>\n
On Monday, Abbott issued an ultimatum<\/a> to Whitmire \u2014 repeal an ordinance limiting the police department’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or lose more than $110 million in grants for public safety. <\/p>\n “Yes, I voted for it last week because it was the right thing to do,” Whitmire said on Tuesday. “It\u2019s been rejected by people that control our purse strings. So, a reasonable thing to do is to revisit it, discuss it, pass an ordinance that will comply with state law under the judgment of the governor\u2019s criminal justice department. … It will hurt Houston every minute that we don\u2019t resolve it.”<\/p>\n Sign up for the Hello, Houston!<\/a> daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n The threat marked a first-of-its-kind rupture in Whitmire’s relationship with the Republican-controlled state government. The former Democratic state lawmaker initially called a special meeting of the Houston City Council for Friday to consider reversing the measure.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Whitmire scrapped the special meeting<\/a> \u201cafter discussions with the governor\u2019s office.\u201d The matter will now be addressed at a regular meeting on Wednesday, when the extent of the mayor\u2019s influence over municipal governance will be measured. <\/p>\n \u201cThis strikes a balance to protect our people, essential services, and our finances,\u201d Whitmire said in a statement on Thursday. \u201cAs I said earlier, this is a crisis. We have already lost state grant funding, which affects the Houston Police and Fire Departments, public safety services across our city, preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the Department of Homeland Security. Our public safety departments rely on a combination of local, state, and federal resources to operate effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n Shortly after Whitmire\u2019s announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he had filed a lawsuit against the city and some of its elected officials over its ordinance. Paxton alleges the ordinance violates Senate Bill 4, passed during the 2017 Legislative Session. <\/p>\n \u201cUnder SB 4, a local entity such as the City of Houston may not adopt, enforce, or endorse a policy that prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of federal immigration laws,\u201d Paxton said in a release announcing the lawsuit. \u201cHowever, Houston adopted a city ordinance that blatantly violates this law.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitmire faces tough math in his push to repeal<\/p>\n Last week, the city council approved a measure in a 12-5 vote prohibiting police officers from detaining people or prolonging traffic stops due to civil immigration warrants issued by ICE. <\/p>\n Whitmire supported the ordinance but now wants it reversed. Of the remaining 11 council members who backed the measure last week, only four have publicly committed to standing firm. <\/p>\n RELATED: Houston City Council approves new HPD-ICE policy intended to curtail coordination on immigration enforcement<\/a><\/p>\n Ordinance authors Alejandra Salinas, Abbie Kamin and Edward Pollard \u2014 all of whom are attorneys \u2014 have called for the city to engage in a legal battle against Abbott’s threat. Council member Tiffany Thomas agreed. <\/p>\n “We owe it to Houstonians to fight for our values,” Thomas said. “That\u2019s why we have a city attorney \u2014 to represent the city\u2019s interest.”<\/p>\n Whitmire ruled out legal challenges this week, calling it a “waste of time” as some grant accounts have already been frozen. <\/p>\n City Attorney Arturo Michel \u2014 who reports to Whitmire \u2014 argued the city would lose in court. <\/p>\n RELATED: Here\u2019s what leaders across Texas are saying about Abbott\u2019s fight with Houston city officials over ICE policy<\/a><\/p>\n “It\u2019s at the governor\u2019s discretion, so that is going to be difficult to have any court say the governor cannot exercise his discretion to either give the grant or not give the grant in any sense really,” Michel said. <\/p>\n Dominic Anthony Walsh \/ Houston Public Media<\/p>\n Council member Alejandra Salinas listens to City Attorney Arturo Michel on April 1, 2025.<\/p>\n To reach a simple majority, Whitmire would need to win over three of the seven who have not taken a public stance. <\/p>\n Under city council rules for reconsidering a recently passed measure, he would have needed to secure a two-thirds majority vote in a special meeting on Friday \u2014 for which he would have needed support from six of the seven.<\/p>\n “There\u2019s tough decisions,” council member Joaquin Martinez \u2014 who supported the measure last week \u2014 said on Wednesday. “Ultimately, we need to think about the entire city, and so I\u2019m still thinking through the process, understanding what the best options are. Intentions are always great, but ultimately, we have to fulfill the duties of all Houstonians.”<\/p>\n Throughout his first term, Whitmire hasn’t lost a vote \u2014 but he’s flown close to the sun. At the beginning of 2026, he secured a razor-thin win for a demolition program supported with stormwater funding in a 9-7 vote. <\/p>\n![\"Council](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_4851-1000x667.jpg\")
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