Houston mayor signs order limiting police contact with ICE

Houston Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order restricting when city police contact federal immigration authorities. Under the policy, routine traffic stops and minor, nonviolent violations resulting in a citation or warning will not prompt ICE contact; contact is reserved for qualifying arrests involving an ICE warrant. Whitmire said the policy focuses enforcement on public-safety threats and is intended to reduce residents’ fear and anxiety, while decisions about responding to ICE after a qualifying arrest remain with the county jail and Harris County government. The announcement followed protests over ICE actions in Houston, including the fatal shooting of a Mexican construction worker and the indictment of an ICE officer accused of injuring another man with a vehicle. Whitmire described the approach as a potential model for other Texas cities after Democrats’ election victory in the state.