Nov. 6, 2026Updated Nov. 7, 2026, 10:49 a.m. ET
Houston’s mayor on Nov. 6 directed his police force to cooperate less with ICE, a decision made within days of Democrats reclaiming a majority in Congress and sweeping statewide races in Texas.
The executive order directs Houston police to contact ICE only when the federal agency has a warrant for a person charged on a jailable offense. The guidance clarifies that suspected immigration enforcement by itself is no longer a basis to contact ICE or hold any person in custody.
“For example, if our police officers pull someone over for a minor traffic infraction and they write a citation, that person receives a citation and goes about their day,” Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz said. “HPD will no longer contact ICE if they have an administrative warrant and they are not arrested.”
The move is a turnaround from the federal government’s aggressive immigration agenda nationwide and in Houston, where federal immigration officers fatally shot a Mexican homebuilder this summer. Texas is historically a Republican stronghold.
The directive is not the first time Houston city officials attempted to limit police cooperation with ICE. In April, the City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting officers from holding someone or extending a stop longer to wait for ICE.
Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who has aligned himself with Trump’s immigration policies, threatened to withdraw about $110 million in public safety grants to Houston if it did not repeal the ordinance. The policy also faced legal scrutiny from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for “materially limit(ing)” immigration enforcement.
This week, Democrat James Talarico decisively beat Paxton for the Texas Senate seat and Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Abbott in the race for Texas Governor.
“As I’ve said many times, elections matter,” Houston’s Mayor John Whitmire said. “I’ve been in contact with the new state leadership and bipartisan members of the Legislature. Quite frankly, this should be a nonpartisan issue.”
Whitmire, a Democrat, said in a press briefing today that the policy change is about “reducing fear and anxiety, not just within certain communities, but across all of Houston.”
Advocates at FIEL Houston, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, called the Mayor’s order a victory, adding that their community can now “breathe easier.”
USA TODAY has reached out to ICE for comment.
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