HOUSTON, TX - Under a new Houston Police Department policy, federal immigration officers will be given only a 30-minute window in which to respond to calls from city police about encounters with individuals subject to administrative immigration warrants, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz announced the policy change, which reflects a significant shift in how the department interacts with federal immigration agents, at a news conference alongside Mayor John Whitmire.
In addition to the time restrictions, officers will also be required to notify a sergeant when they encounter people with administrative warrants and have the sergeant respond to the scene.
The move came after several members of the city council complained about two incidents where officers had arrested and personally transported drivers to immigration agents.
Last week, Whitmire, a Democrat, told several local media outlets that he was disappointed that two officers had arrested illegal alien drivers and driven them to ICE agents, saying it violates department policies.
“It was a violation of Houston Police Department policy, and it will be corrected,” he said.
Whitmire classified the two arrests as “mistakes” that were carried out by two “young” Houston PD officers.
In true sanctuary city style, Whitmire stated before President Trump was even inaugurated for his second term in January 2025 that Houston police officers would not enforce immigration laws. Since that time, the Department of Homeland Security has added 700,000 “non-criminal” administrative warrants to a national crime database.
The city’s guidelines have come under fire from immigration “advocates” and call on officers to contact ICE and wait “a reasonable amount of time” for an agent to respond to the scene. However, national police associations (none of which were identified) and Houston leaders say officers shouldn’t make arrests based solely on immigration violations.
An investigation by the Chronicle showed that police departments across Texas vary in how they handle administrative warrants for immigration law violations, including some where officers seek guidance about the legalities of detaining illegal aliens and contacting ICE. Up until recently, Houston officials have remained largely silent about the issue.
In Austin, city officials recently changed how that department responds to administrative warrants, where previously the city’s policies resembled Houston’s. Now, officers are required to get permission from supervisors before detaining illegal aliens on ICE administrative warrants, according to a statement from Mayor Pro Tem Jose “Chito” Vela and Council Member Jose Velasquez.
Chief Diaz has been requested to appear before the city council at an upcoming meeting to answer questions about the department’s policies, and some have also called for reinstituting the dissolved community affairs division, along with other proposals, after the recent two arrests.
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