The Houston Police Department found 103 people with civil immigration records during the quarter; 59 were released and the average detention time was 39 minutes.
The Houston Police Department (HPD) transferred 19 people into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during encounters that occurred between April 1 and June 30, 2026.
In total, officers encountered 103 people with immigration-related records in the national database used by law enforcement agencies. The majority, 59 people, were released on the spot.
Another 14 people were admitted to the Joint Processing Center on charges unrelated to immigration, two were transported to a hospital and nine records could not be confirmed as active warrants.
The average detention time during those encounters was 39 minutes.
Traffic stops concentrated many of the encounters
The cases began during various interactions with HPD, including traffic stops, accidents, disturbance calls, investigations, welfare checks and reports of suspicious persons or vehicles.
The database includes numerous encounters initiated as traffic stops. It also shows minor and major accidents, assault calls, road obstructions, officer-initiated patrols and other service requests.
Not all orders had the same status. Some records corresponded to administrative immigration orders, while others were related to failure to appear, deportation or other immigration violations recorded in the National Crime Information Center.
The information does not publicly identify the people involved. The records include date, type of contact, reason for the inquiry, ZIP code, duration of detention and outcome of the encounter.
57% of the people were released on the spot
The 59 releases represented 57.28% of the 103 encounters.
The 19 transfers to ICE accounted for 18.45%. The 14 detentions on new charges accounted for 13.59%, while the unconfirmed records accounted for 8.74%.
The two people transported to a hospital represented 1.94% of the total.
Some encounters ended in a few minutes. Others stretched for more than an hour, according to the timestamps included in the database.
HPD cannot ask about immigration status in any encounter
HPD policy prohibits officers from asking about citizenship or immigration status unless the person is legally detained or under arrest.
Immigration information can be collected during arrests for Class B felonies or higher. It may also be requested from victims or witnesses when needed to investigate a crime or inform about federal visa programs for people who cooperate with authorities.
During the quarter, no known incidents were recorded where an officer asked about immigration status outside of those circumstances.
The current policy allows HPD to contact ICE when a civil administrative order appears and wait a reasonable amount of time to receive a response. The city eliminated in April a prior rule that limited that wait to 30 minutes, after the state government threatened to withdraw $114 million in public safety funds.
The city will continue publishing quarterly reports
The City Council maintained the requirement to publish quarterly information about the use of municipal resources in immigration-related encounters, even after modifying the ordinance initially approved in April.
The upcoming reports should include contacts with federal immigration authorities, duration of detentions, type of order involved, outcome of the encounter and general location.
Information that could compromise an ongoing criminal investigation or active judicial proceedings is excluded.
Related: Whitmire seeks to reverse Houston policy on ICE after Abbott threatens to withdraw funds
The figures come amid the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo
The release of these figures comes as Houston continues to grapple with the debate over cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration agents.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican man, died on July 7 after being shot by an ICE agent during an operation in the East End. His family, community organizations and local officials have called for an independent investigation and the disclosure of evidence from the encounter.
Mayor John Whitmire has made HPD resources available to federal investigations related to Salgado Araujo’s death. The city has not announced a separate municipal investigation.
The next quarterly report should cover HPD encounters with immigration authorities between July and September 2026.
