Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Friday that city police will no longer notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they encounter people suspected of being in the country illegally during minor, nonviolent interactions such as traffic stops.
Whitmire told The New York Times that Houston police will only alert ICE when someone is being taken to jail on a new criminal charge. “If they’re charged with a new crime, we’ll let ICE know as we get them to the jailhouse,” he said.
The announcement follows a Tuesday election in which Texas voted Democratic for the first time since James Talarico, the state’s senator-elect, was born. Talarico’s win marked the first Democratic Senate flip in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen, who served as Treasury Secretary under President Clinton, won reelection in 1988. Outgoing Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, lost his bid for a fourth term in the same election. Texas last elected a Democratic governor, Ann Richards, in 1990.
In a statement, Whitmire said: “I have signed an executive order directing HPD to no longer contact ICE for nonviolent offences, helping reduce fear in our communities. Thank you to Chief Diaz, our state and local leaders for their collaboration. A step toward building a stronger Houston. Let’s Go to Work.”
Whitmire acknowledged that Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa will not take office until January, but he defended the timing of his decision, calling it “responsible” and “more effective policy.” He told the Times that Abbott’s prior executive order requiring police contact with the Department of Homeland Security had caused “anxiety” among Houston residents.
Describing the practical effect of the new policy to the Associated Press, Whitmire said: “You write a citation or you warn them and they go about their way. No contact with [ICE] over nonviolent, non-jailable offenses.”
A Policy That Shifted Several Times This Year
Houston’s approach to ICE cooperation has changed repeatedly in 2025. In March, Whitmire and Police Chief Noe Diaz put in place a policy under which a sergeant would be summoned if a background check turned up an immigration-related warrant, according to Houston’s Fox affiliate. Under that policy, if ICE agents could not reach the scene within 30 minutes, the person would be released.
In April, the Houston City Council passed an ordinance limiting how long officers could hold someone while waiting for ICE to arrive. Whitmire later backed revisions to that ordinance after Abbott threatened to withhold more than $100 million in state funding from the city, and then-Attorney General Ken Paxton opened an investigation into Houston’s immigration practices.
Those revisions gave officers more discretion to contact ICE and wait for agents in cases involving civil immigration warrants. Friday’s announcement reverses that discretion, limiting ICE notifications to cases involving jailable offenses — restoring the more restrictive approach city lawmakers had originally sought.
Whitmire did not respond to a request for comment beyond his public statement. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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