Today, Houston City Council passed an ordinance designed to limit interactions between the Houston Police Department (HPD) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a 12-5 vote. The ordinance was drafted by Council members Alejandra Salinas, Abbie Kamin, and Edward Pollard, proposing changes to the city’s current policy regarding civil immigration enforcement.

Mayor John Whitmire expressed support for the ordinance after revisions were made, and the council members who drafted the measure accepted his backing. Councilmembers Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger, Willie Davis, Mary Nan Huffman, and Twila Carter voted against the policy.

The ordinance includes several key provisions. It removes the requirement for local police officers to notify ICE in cases involving civil administrative warrants. It also ensures that routine traffic stops end when the lawful reason for the stop concludes. In addition, the ordinance increases transparency by mandating regular public reporting on how frequently HPD inquiries about immigration status or contacts federal authorities.

Background: In March, Mayor Whitmire and Police Chief Noe Diaz announced a directive governing how police officers handle federal administrative immigration warrants. Under the rule, a sergeant must be called to the scene to verify the warrant and oversee the interaction. ICE agents must arrive within 30 minutes to take custody once a supervisor confirms the warrant’s validity. If federal authorities fail to arrive within the 30-minute window, the individual must be released. Civil administrative warrants, unlike judicial warrants, are not issued by a judge. The city ordinance does not prevent cooperation with federal immigration enforcement; legal searches and warrant procedures will continue as standard practice for public safety purposes.