Houston Mayor John Whitmire issued an executive order on Friday directing the Houston Police Department to report only people arrested for "jailable offenses" to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The order also requires that the person have an ICE administrative warrant, which Whitmire described as a civil document. He said the move is meant to begin a "healing process" and reduce fear and anxiety in the community.
The order defines a jailable offense as a criminal offense for which a person can lawfully be held in jail upon arrest, rather than one that normally requires release on citation. It states that a person's immigration status alone is not a basis to contact ICE or to extend someone's detention. Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said HPD does not take part in the ICE 287(g) program.
The report says Whitmire had earlier revised a City Council ordinance that limited HPD's contact with ICE. Whitmire said the city cannot run its government without state and federal grants.