Abbott warns Houston could lose $110M over ICE cooperation ordinance

Houston’s new ICE-cooperation ordinance has escalated into a fight over money as much as immigration policy, with Gov. Greg Abbott’s office warning the city could lose $110 million in state grants unless it rolls back the measure. If that funding disappears, city leaders would face immediate pressure on public safety staffing, equipment purchases and other services that depend on outside money to keep police operations and emergency response steady.

Houston City Council approved the ordinance April 8 in a 12-5 vote after a contentious debate. The measure, drafted by council members Alejandra Salinas, Abbie Kamin and Edward Pollard, says Houston Police Department officers may detain someone only as long as reasonably necessary to complete the purpose of a stop, and that an ICE administrative warrant alone does not justify keeping a person longer. It also requires HPD to report twice a year on city resources used for immigration enforcement.

The final version was narrower than the first draft. An earlier provision would have let officers choose not to contact ICE when they encountered an administrative warrant, but that language was removed after the city attorney said it would violate Texas SB 4. The ordinance also ends HPD’s old practice of waiting up to 30 minutes for ICE agents to arrive.

The stakes are not theoretical. Houston police have called ICE more than 150 times since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, mostly after traffic stops tied to civil immigration warrants. In 2025, HPD wrote about 350,000 police reports, and roughly 220 involved ICE. About half of those 220 people were released at the scene, while 17 were moved to meet an ICE agent at a nearby location.

Mayor John Whitmire backed the revised ordinance after the changes were made, saying it matched existing practices. Supporters, including council member Julian Ramirez, argue the policy does not make Houston a sanctuary city and does not apply to criminal cases. Opponents, including council members Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger, Willie Davis, Mary Nan Huffman and Twila Carter, warned it could invite lawsuits and undermine officers’ judgment.

The Houston Police Officers’ Union said the ordinance creates confusion and puts officers in jeopardy, and the union first said it would withhold support for Whitmire before later softening that position. The issue also grew out of earlier reporting that HPD had been instructed to call ICE on administrative warrants after ICE added roughly 700,000 administrative warrants to a national law-enforcement database.

The fallout is being watched beyond City Hall. Harris County commissioners are considering ICE guidelines inspired by Houston’s approach, which means the fight now reaches into the county budget, county law enforcement and the day-to-day decisions officers make on Houston streets.