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Houston mayor curbs cooperation of US city’s police with ICE
Al Jazeera • • nation
Key Points:
- Houston Mayor John Whitmire issued an executive order limiting the city's police cooperation with ICE, restricting contact to cases involving jailable offenses only, aiming to reduce fear and anxiety in the community.
- The order reverses a previous policy imposed under former Governor Greg Abbott, who had threatened to withhold $110 million in state public safety grants and sued city officials for limiting ICE cooperation.
- Houston Police Chief J Noe Diaz supports the new policy and has begun its implementation, with changes including no longer referring minor traffic violations to ICE solely based on administrative immigration warrants.
- The move follows increased scrutiny after a rise in ICE contacts by Houston police and a fatal shooting of a Houston resident by an ICE agent in July, prompting calls from immigrant rights groups for change.
- Whitmire hopes Houston’s policy will serve as a model for other Texas cities, with Austin's mayor already considering revising local ICE warrant policies.
