AI summary
Summary of article:
Following changes in Texas’ political landscape, Houston Mayor Whitmer signed a new order requiring city police to only notify ICE in cases that could result in a detention, in order to reduce community fear and respond to pressure from the state government.
texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott lost his bid for a fourth term in a third term and the political landscape of Texas has been turned upside down.houston Democratic Mayor John Whitmire immediately signed an executive order on the 6th. The Houston Police Department (HPD) will no longer notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) when they encounter non-violent encounters such as traffic violations and minor violations.snow ).
“I have signed an executive order directing the Houston Police Department not to contact ICE for non-violent violations to reduce fear in the community,” Whitmer said in a statement.
Whitmer told The New York Times that city police are not allowed to notify ICE if they encounter illegal immigrants for traffic violations or minor violations. “If he is charged with a new crime, we will notify ICE when he is admitted to the detention center,” he told The Associated Press. “They can leave with a ticket or a warning and will not be contacted by ICE for a non-violent, non-custodial violation.”
Whitmer said Abbott’s executive order requiring local police to contact the Department of Homeland Security has left Houston residents “concerned.” The order originally threatened local governments that would not cooperate with the loss of millions in state funding.
She said Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa won’t take office until January of next year, but she believes making adjustments now is “responsible” and “a more effective policy.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that it is “disappointed that sanctuary city politicians are trying to limit cooperation with ICE,” noting that seven of the 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE. Without local law enforcement’s cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, federal law enforcement officers will appear more frequently in communities to locate released criminals.
Houston’s immigration policies have changed several times this year. The policy, introduced in March by Whitmer and Police Chief Noah Diaz, states that if an ICE administrative warrant is found during an inspection, a sergeant must be present to monitor ICE’s intervention. If ICE does not arrive within half an hour, the person will be released. The City Council also passed an ordinance in April that eliminated the requirement for police officers to wait up to half an hour for ICE at the scene and limited the circumstances under which police officers can contact ICE.
Later, Abbott threatened to withhold more than $100 million in state funds, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton also investigated Houston’s immigration policies. The City Council later amended the rules, and the city Police Department also issued new directives requiring officers to report to ICE when they encounter someone detained by ICE.
This new order limits notifications to detainable violations, which is tantamount to once again restricting cooperation between city police and ICE, returning to the restrictions originally imposed by the City Council.
Summary FAQ
-
The new order requires the Houston Police Department to no longer notify ICE during non-violent encounters such as traffic violations and minor violations; He only needs to inform federal immigration enforcement units when he encounters cases that can be detained and will be sent to a detention center.
-
Whitmer said that Governor Abbott’s previous requirement for local police to contact the Department of Homeland Security had left many residents concerned; He believed that reducing notifications of non-violent cases would reduce community fear and would be more consistent with effective and responsible governance.
-
Houston previously required notification of ICE detainees found during surprise inspections, but later tightened cooperation due to state pressure. This time the order again limited the scope of notification, returning to the practice of notifying ICE only for detention violations.
