Houston mayor limits police cooperation with ICE
Houston mayor John Whitmire issued an executive order limiting police contact with ICE on Friday.
At a glance
- Houston mayor John Whitmire issued an executive order limiting police contact with ICE on Friday.
- Under the new rules, Houston police will contact ICE only when arresting someone for a jailable offence.
- Police contacted ICE 107 times in eight months of 2025, compared with nine times in all of 2024.
Houston mayor John Whitmire issued an executive order on Friday sharply limiting the city's police force from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), reversing a policy he had put in place earlier in April under pressure from outgoing Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
New rules limit ICE referrals
The move comes days after Democrats swept statewide offices in the traditionally Republican state of Texas. Under the new rules, Houston police will contact ICE only when someone is being arrested for a jailable offence — not simply because they have an administrative immigration warrant. People stopped for minor traffic violations will no longer be referred to ICE.
Whitmire consulted Texas's newly elected governor, lieutenant governor and comptroller before acting, saying the measure was meant to reduce fear and anxiety across the city. "Elections matter," he told reporters. "I do this to begin a healing process," he added, expressing hope the order would become a model for other Texas cities.
Houston Police Chief J Noe Diaz said his department had already begun implementing the new policy and supported the change. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also sued the mayor, the city council and the police chief over the earlier ordinance.
The issue drew intense scrutiny in Houston. The Houston Chronicle reported that city police contacted ICE at least 107 times in the first eight months of 2025, compared with nine times in all of 2024. In July, an ICE agent shot dead Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a longtime Houston resident.
FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights group, called the order a victory but said it was long overdue. "Today Houston won. Today our community can breathe easier," FIEL Executive Director Cesar Espinosa said in a statement to KPRC.
Whitmire said he expected Houston's approach to become a model for other cities. In Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson asked city officials on Friday to revise their own policy on ICE warrants.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- What did Houston mayor John Whitmire do?
- He issued an executive order sharply limiting police cooperation with ICE, reversing a prior policy.
- Why did Whitmire reverse the policy?
- He said the move was meant to reduce fear and anxiety, following the Democratic sweep in statewide offices.
- Who sued the mayor and city officials?
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the mayor, city council and police chief over the earlier ordinance.
