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Houston City Council voted to pass an ordinance that would further restrict when HPD can call ICE.
This comes weeks after Mayor John Whitmire had laid out new procedures for cooperation between the two agencies. At City Council on Wednesday, Whitmire said he would support the item after he said revisions were made to the proposal. The plan, supported by Council Members Abbie Kamin, Edward Pollard, and Alejandra Salinas, would eliminate the 30-minute window requirement, as well as require HPD to create reports about its cooperation with ICE.
An earlier version of the plan also removed HPD’s requirement to call ICE upon discovery of an illegal alien with an ICE warrant altogether, leaving it up to the officer’s discretion. But it was removed by city attorneys over concerns that it could violate state law.
The ordinance passed in a 12-5 vote, with council members Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger, Willie Davis, Mary Nan Huffman, and Twila Carter voting no.
In a statement, Carter said, "We are particularly concerned that placing a national spotlight on our city will create unsafe situations for our community. We believe that this ordinance places onerous and arbitrary reporting requirements which are intended to influence HPD officers into exercising discretion in instances where an inquiry into immigration status may have otherwise occurred. In short, this ordinance will make officers afraid to do their jobs."