{"id":254476,"date":"2026-04-17T17:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/254476\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T17:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T17:29:08","slug":"austin-mayor-addresses-texas-gov-abbotts-ice-related-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/254476\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin mayor addresses Texas Gov. Abbott’s ICE-related threats"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another leader Capital City leader is defending its police department’s new response<\/a> to interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson recently\u00a0stated<\/a> to address Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s threats to withhold $2.5 million in public safety grants after\u00a0the Austin Police Department updated its ICE policy last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watson received a letter from the Governor’s Public Safety Office on Thursday, April 16, warning that\u00a0APD’s revised general orders contradict a condition in a certification signed by Austin’s city manager in February 2025 to receive state grant funding. The certification said APD must notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of all information related to undocumented immigrants and to detain them in accordance with\u00a0DHS requests.<\/p>\n

“A city’s failure to comply with its contract agreement with the state to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws makes the state less safe,” said Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Gov. Greg Abbott in the letter. “It can have deadly consequences. Cities in Texas are expected to make the streets safer, not more deadly.”<\/p>\n

The state gave Austin a deadline of April 23 to confirm that the City will not enforce and instead repeal the policy, or face potential termination of the grants. If the Public Safety Office chooses to end the grants, the City of Austin will be required to repay the full amount ($2.5 million) within 30 days.<\/p>\n

Austin mayor faces off with Texas Gov. Abbott\u00a0<\/p>\n

In response to the letter, Mayor Watson maintained that APD’s “revised General Orders are consistent with state requirements, including SB4.” Senate Bill 4 is the state\u2019s 2017 law that bans “sanctuary cities” and compels local law enforcement to comply with federal immigration detainers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The City of Austin has made great progress on public safety\u2014 but our APD officers do not have the capacity\u2014and should not be asked\u2014 to do the jobs of other entities,” Watson wrote. “There is great irony that the state would try to punish the City for providing services that keep Austinites safe by threatening grants that keep Austin safe.”<\/p>\n

Watson said that the grants being threatened include one that provides services to peace officers who experience trauma on the job, another that helps survivors of sexual assault get justice and one that improves the ability to respond to violent crimes against women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The letter threatening the City is not about keeping Texans safe,” Watson said. “We will continue to focus on providing public safety. We will continue to support our officers. We will continue to fight for justice for sexual assault survivors and survivors of domestic abuse. We don\u2019t have the time and will not play into this political theater.”<\/p>\n

Abbott’s letter was also less than a week after Texas Attorney General Ken\u00a0Paxton informed city officials he would be launching an investigation into APD’s new policy involving ICE.\u00a0<\/p>\n