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Houston Mayor John Whitmire has said that the Houston Police Department has not participated in any I.C.E. raids, and won't in the future. So why is that? Houston Police Officers Union President Doug Griffith says, immigration law isn't in their jurisdiction.
Griffith spoke to KTRH about this issue and made it clear that HPD is doing their job, while the federal officials do theirs. He said, "We're not here to be federal agents. We don't have the manpower for that. We are going to handle crime in Houston."
Mayor John Whitmire also spoke to KTRH about this and made it clear that the role of HPD is to enforce state and municipal level laws, which means immigration enforcement is left primarily to federal officials.
There is some room for local involvement in immigration proceedings when it comes to things like I.C.E. detainers, but again, that's left up to the county, not city officials. Griffith explained that when HPD arrests someone, "It's up to the jail to determine if they have an active I.C.E. detainer, and that's all through Harris County. There's not really a way for us to check those."
In a statement provided to KTRH, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said that, "For many years, we have allowed ICE agents access to the jail to conduct screenings on inmates and place detainers on those they identify as having questionable immigration status. Once a local judge orders the release of an inmate with an ICE detainer, ICE is notified so they can take custody of that person immediately upon their release."
Essentially, HPD isn't involved in immigration enforcement because they neither have the manpower nor the mandate under the law to do so. But Mayor Whitmire reiterated to KTRH that, "HPD enforces laws regardless of immigration status."