Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Friday directed the city’s police department to reduce cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Whitmire said the change, prompted by Democratic gains in the midterm elections, limits ICE contact to cases involving jailable offenses and aims to reduce fear and anxiety in the community.
The executive order, which was distributed to officers Friday, according to Police Chief Noe Diaz, reverses a policy Whitmire reinstated in April after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to revoke more than $110 million in public safety funding. That earlier measure required officers to detain immigrants for a “reasonable” amount of time while waiting for ICE agents.
data from the Houston Police Department showed officers contacted ICE nearly 200 times from April through September, including at least 36 instances where HPD officers handed people directly to ICE, according to department reports.
Whitmire said the new directive reflects his longstanding opposition to Senate Bill 4, Texas’ sanctuary city law, and his belief that the city’s financial position is less vulnerable under incoming state leadership. He said he had spoken with newly elected Texas officials and believed they would take a different approach to immigration enforcement.
“I do this to begin a healing process, reduce fear and anxiety across our community,” Whitmire said. “I also do this knowing that elections matter.” He acknowledged the political risk, saying, “I understand there’s risk. I will take that risk and I know I’m doing right.”
The policy change comes after Some incidents occurred after people called emergency services for help, including for a suicide attempt and domestic violence.
Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas, who spearheaded the April ordinance and opposed its reversal, called the policy change a “great step forward.”
“Today, we acknowledged the fear that we had been causing, and I’m so grateful that we can put those days behind us,” Salinas said.
Immigrant advocacy group FIEL Houston welcomed the announcement, with Executive Director Cesar Espinosa saying, “Today Houston won. Today our community can breathe easier.” Espinosa argued the changes should have been implemented months earlier. The group reiterated its broader demand for ICE to leave Houston.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized the move, saying, “We remain disappointed that sanctuary politicians seek to limit cooperation with ICE, as our law enforcement are simply fulfilling their sworn duties to serve and protect our communities.” The spokesperson warned that restrictions could lead to a more visible ICE presence, stating, “When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with DHS, our law enforcement officers have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities.”
DHS cited the Supremacy Clause in its statement, saying, “The Supremacy Clause makes it clear that sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement.” ICE argued on social media that Whitmire was “directly advocating for policies that protect some of the worst criminals in America.” DHS cited examples of five people ICE had arrested in Houston with prior convictions involving homicide, burglary, assault, kidnapping and a sexual offense against a child, but did not establish their arrests were connected to the previous policy.
Diaz emphasized HPD does not participate in a federal 287(g) agreement, which allows local agencies to perform immigration enforcement functions.
The mayor’s order does not restrict ICE agents from independently conducting federal immigration enforcement operations within Houston. Abbott and the Texas Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The original ordinance required HPD to provide regular reports on interactions with ICE, and that measure survived. Whitmire’s staff previously passed a memo to council members detailing more than $260 million in direct appropriations to Houston from the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature in 2025, before the April reversal.
