A University of Houston poll found broad disagreement with ICE tactics and with the cooperation of local police and sheriffs in immigration operations.
A new University of Houston survey found widespread opposition to the tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, among residents of the Houston metropolitan area.
The poll showed that about 70% of residents disapprove of the way ICE carries out its work. Nearly two-thirds said they do not want their county sheriff to cooperate with the federal agency, while about 59% opposed their local police department working with ICE.
Cooperation with ICE in Houston divides residents and authorities
The survey was conducted in April by the Center for Public Policy of the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston.
The results come after weeks of local debate about the role of police agencies in enforcing federal immigration laws. In Houston, the City Council approved and later repealed an ordinance that would have limited the Houston Police Department’s level of cooperation with immigration agents.
The issue has also gained national traction following high-profile ICE operations in cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. The survey mentions those cases within the political and public environment in which Houston area residents’ opinions were measured.
Gail Buttorff, associate director of the Center for Public Policy, noted that Houston is a immigrant community and that many people in the region are directly affected by these policies. In that context, she said, the high levels of disapproval in the area are consistent with the city’s demographic makeup.
Disapproval varies by race, county, and political affiliation
The poll collected responses from 1,500 people in nine counties that form part of the SPACE City Panel, a group the University of Houston consults throughout the year on issues relevant to the region.
Disapproval of ICE tactics appeared across different racial groups and geographic areas, though with marked differences.
More than three-quarters of Black and Hispanic residents rejected ICE operations. Among White residents, disapproval was 58%.
There were also county differences. Solid majorities in Houston, Harris County, and Fort Bend County said they disapproved of ICE, while in Montgomery County a little more than half expressed that stance.
The city of Houston recorded the strongest rejection of cooperation between local police and sheriffs with ICE. 70% of respondents within the city opposed their police department working with the federal agency.
In Montgomery County, that figure was 37%.
Responses also varied by political affiliation. One-third of Republicans said they disapproved of ICE operations, compared with more than 90% of Democrats. Among Republicans, opposition to sheriffs and local police departments cooperating with the agency was lower.
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The survey arrives after the debate over Houston’s local policy
The debate over ICE has occupied part of Houston’s municipal agenda in recent weeks.
The city recently approved an ordinance aimed at limiting the Houston Police Department’s cooperation with immigration agents. Later, that measure was repealed.
The change kept the discussion open about how far local agencies should participate in federal immigration operations and what kind of relationship they should have with ICE.
Buttorff said that the shift in public opinion about ICE could influence how candidates and campaigns address the issue during the midterm election cycle.
Many respondents do not see a direct impact on their neighborhood’s safety
Although opposition to ICE was broad in the Houston area, most residents did not say the agency’s tactics were negatively affecting the safety of their own neighborhood.
Perceptions changed when the question focused on other parts of the country. More people believed ICE actions may be making neighborhoods in other cities less safe.
The survey also found that more than one in five people said they had contact with ICE in their community or knew someone close who had.
That figure appears in a region where roughly a quarter of the population was born outside the United States.
Houston has not experienced an operation as visible as Chicago
The study compared Houston’s results with similar surveys conducted in Chicago, where a high-profile federal operation generated more negative responses about ICE’s impact on neighborhood safety.
Researchers noted that Houston does have ICE activity, but has not faced a federal campaign as visible as Chicago’s or other cities.
Buttorff indicated that this difference could influence how residents perceive the agency’s presence in the Houston area.
The survey remains focused on two points: disapproval of ICE’s tactics and the rejection by many residents of sheriffs and local police departments cooperating with ICE in Houston.
