Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has been engaged this month in a tense face-off with three of his state\u2019s largest cities over how local police officers work with federal immigration agents.<\/p>\n
The governor gave the leaders of Houston, Dallas and Austin until Wednesday to amend their policies to his liking, or face losing more than $150 million total in public safety funding, including millions dedicated to providing security at World Cup matches this summer.<\/p>\n
Republican state leaders have frequently tried to control the policies of their state\u2019s Democratic cities, often through legislation, and sometimes through lawsuits. But with Mr. Abbott using critical funding as leverage, some consider this an echo of the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive tactics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a play out of President Trump\u2019s playbook,\u201d said Alejandra Salinas, a Houston councilwoman. \u201cHe thinks he can bully the city of Houston in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Legal experts said the issue at hand \u2014 whether officers on the street can hold a person longer than usually permitted if the person is wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement \u2014 was not settled, and that Mr. Abbott could be testing the bounds of what support the police can provide federal immigration agents.<\/p>\n
The fight began in Houston, where this month the City Council passed a new ordinance clarifying when its officers could detain people wanted by immigration agents. Mr. Abbott expanded the fight to Dallas and Austin after he said both had policies that also broke a contract with the state requiring the police to cooperate with immigration agents in exchange for funding.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the Houston City Council conducted an extended and, at times, pointed debate over amending the ordinance. Some progressive council members, including Ms. Salinas, suggested the city should have taken the state to court instead.<\/p>\n
Councilwoman Abbie Kamin, a lawyer who was recently appointed the top attorney for Harris County, which includes Houston, warned that supporting an \u201cAbbott amendment\u201d would be a capitulation to the governor and could invite more state interference.<\/p>\n
But Mayor John Whitmire, a moderate Democrat in a nonpartisan position, said the city could not effectively push back on the governor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person that controls the purse strings can kind of set the rules,\u201d Mr. Whitmire, who initially supported the ordinance, said in an interview before Wednesday\u2019s meeting. \u201cWhat good would it be for me to be annoyed with the governor and strike back at the governor? I\u2019m trying to get the damn money.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the meeting, the mayor stressed the need for \u201ccollaboration\u201d as he presented new language that he said Mr. Abbott\u2019s office supported. The amended language largely kept intact the substance of the ordinance while underscoring that officers could consider the \u201ctotality\u201d of circumstances in deciding whether to hold a person for immigration agents. He said he was seeking to turn down the temperature on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Abbott,\u201d Mr. Whitmire said to his opponents on the council, \u201cand quite frankly, y\u2019all played right into his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
The council voted 13 to 4 to adopt the new language on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The attorney general, Ken Paxton, joined the fray last week to file a suit against Houston over its ordinance. And Senator John Cornyn, who is facing a Republican primary challenge from Mr. Paxton, announced legislation that would cut some federal funding from cities that do not cooperate with ICE.<\/p>\n
But it was the threats from Mr. Abbott that set off a scramble among city leaders and police officials. In Houston last week, officials said they were evaluating the effect of the looming cuts on things like officer overtime, even as they sought to reassure representatives of FIFA, soccer\u2019s international governing body, that patrons in their city would be safe this summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis vote is a step in the right direction,\u201d Mr. Abbott\u2019s press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said in a statement, adding that the city\u2019s police department still had to update its policies.<\/p>\n