What we know
What we know: Houston mayor signs order to limit cooperation with ICE, says 'elections matter' after Democrats win
Compiled Nov 6
What we know
- Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the city will limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- Whitmire said enforcement will target immigrants who 'pose a danger,' not those going about family, work or education.
- Under the new approach, nonviolent, non-jailable traffic offenses will not result in ICE contact—citations or warnings only.
- The Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Houston sparked protests after an ICE officer fatally shot a Mexican homebuilder this summer and another officer struck a man with a car.
- A grand jury indicted ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for ramming his car into Miguel Parra Hernandez, breaking his leg.
- ICE has signed about 2,600 agreements, many in Texas, to deputize local police and other agencies to enforce immigration laws.
What we don’t know yet
- ICE has asserted Parra Hernandez ran in front of the vehicle, an account prosecutors say is contradicted by video.
- Details of the mayor's change were to be spelled out in an executive order, not yet released at time of the article.
Open questions
- What specific provisions will the executive order contain?
- How will ICE respond to Houston's reduced cooperation?
- What is the current status of the case against ICE officer Mario Alberto Morales?
- Will other Texas cities adopt similar policies limiting ICE cooperation?
Drawn from the Associated Press report. “What we don’t know” lists only what the reporting itself flags as unresolved.