The latest news coming from the city hall may bring some reassurance to the immigrant community. After months of uncertainty due to what has been reported about the collaboration between the Houston Police Department (HPD) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Houston City Council has managed to pass a new ordinance.
The approval comes after weeks of public debate and, finally, today the Houston City Council approved the ordinance aimed at limiting interaction between HPD and ICE. The ordinance was approved by 12 votes in favor and 5 against.
Mayor John Whitmire, who had previously been embroiled in controversy for not taking a clear stance on HPD’s collaboration with ICE, said he would support the measure after some modifications to the original.
The councilmembers who presented this proposal were Alejandra Salinas of At-Large 4, Edward Pollard of District J, and Abbie Kamin of District C.
“The councilmembers who presented this proposal were Alejandra Salinas of At-Large 4, Edward Pollard of District J, and Abbie Kamin of District C.”
“This ordinance keeps officers focused on solving crimes, and not on waiting for ICE to detain families,” stated Councilmember Salinas. “More than 50 community organizations —from legal advocates and unions to religious leaders— joined together to demand this change, because Houston families deserve to feel safe calling 911, reporting crimes, and going to work without fear. It is not everything we fight for, but it constitutes a significant advance, and we will continue to fight alongside the community until all residents of Houston feel safe.”
One of the provisions calls for HPD to present to the Council, twice a year, a report on the amount of municipal resources allocated to enforcing immigration laws.
It is also established that a person may be detained during a police encounter only for the time reasonably necessary to fulfill the legitimate purpose of that initial detention.
Although they voted to approve the new measure, other councilmembers do not entirely agree, such as Joaquín Martínez of District I.
“This policy will not dispel the fear with which so many families live daily,” Martínez said.
Five councilmembers, including Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger, Willie Davis, Mary Nan Huffman, and Twila Carter, voted against, arguing that the ordinance “will probably have unintended and detrimental consequences for Houston.”
“We believe that this ordinance imposes onerous and arbitrary reporting requirements, whose purpose is to influence HPD officers to exercise discretion in those cases where, otherwise, an inquiry into immigration status would have been conducted. In short, this ordinance will make officers afraid to do their job.”
The debate continues, but the aim of whether the community trusts the Houston Police Department will play out in the future.
