Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Houston Mayor John Whitmire, the city council, and Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz over a new ordinance limiting local cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The ordinance, passed by a 12-5 vote, ends a policy requiring Houston police to wait 30 minutes for ICE to arrive when a suspect has an immigration warrant.
Paxton argues the ordinance violates Senate Bill 4, a 2017 state law prohibiting local governments from adopting policies that limit federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit names 16 city council members as defendants. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to withhold $200 million in public safety funding from Houston, Dallas, and Austin if they do not revise their immigration policies by April 23.
Houston Mayor Whitmire called the legal action "unfortunate," stating it interferes with the city's responsibility to keep residents safe. City Council member Alejandra Salinas urged the city to defend the ordinance in court. The dispute centers on whether local policies can limit ICE cooperation while complying with state and federal laws.