HOUSTON – Houston City Council approved a revised immigration policy Wednesday, but Governor Greg Abbott says the city is still at risk of losing more than $100 million in public safety funding.
Abbott said in a press conference in Conroe on Wednesday the ordinance passed by council brings the city closer to compliance, but not all the way.
“The city of Houston passed today is an agreement good enough to be in compliance with the contract,” Abbott said. “However, the Houston Police Department still has not agreed to the terms.”
According to the governor, the agreement requires the Houston Police Department to notify the Department of Homeland Security about individuals in custody who may be in the country illegally—and follow federal instructions on whether to detain them.
Until HPD formally agrees, Abbott said funding remains frozen.
“As of right now, these extra law enforcement funds … are no longer flowing,” Abbott said. “We will release those funds as soon as the police department gets on board.”
The governor added Houston could be required to repay more than $110 million if it fails to comply.
“It better happen in the next 24 hours,” Abbott said.
What changed in the policy
The revised ordinance removes a previous policy that allowed officers to wait up to 30 minutes when an immigration-related warrant appeared.
Instead, it now allows officers to detain someone for a “reasonable” amount of time and for “other legitimate purposes” beyond the initial stop.
The president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union, Douglas Griffith, said the change won’t significantly impact day-to-day operations.
“There’s very little change,” Griffith said. “We’re still going to contact the agency involved … and give them a reasonable amount of time.”
He emphasized officers are not trying to enforce immigration law—but must respond to warrants when they appear.
“We are not ICE,” Griffith said. “We’re here to enforce the law.”
One challenge officers face is that when a warrant appears during a stop, it may not be immediately clear whether it is a criminal or civil warrant, according to Griffith.
That distinction is critical because it determines whether officers can legally detain someone.
We reached out to all the city council members about this distinction and the language in the ordinance.
Council member Alejandra Salinas’ office sent us the following statement:
“While I’m disappointed in today’s vote, this fight is far from over.
From the beginning, this has been about protecting families, upholding the Constitution, and ensuring our officers are focused on solving crime, not doing the job of ICE. That has not changed. The legal concerns we raised remain unresolved for this proposal. While I remain hopeful based on the City Attorney’s assurances that this amendment will continue to end HPD’s 30-minute wait policy and not permit HPD officers to detention on the basis of a civil administrative warrant alone, that language was struck by the Governor and Houstonians shouldn’t need to rely solely on assurances.
I am glad that transparency and reporting requirements that we passed remain in place. Those provisions are critical for building trust and improving accountability for how local resources are used by HPD’s interactions with ICE. That is meaningful progress.
But we cannot ignore that this vote walks back explicit protections that our community fought hard for. Houstonians from all walks of life showed up week after week to collectively demand the city take action. More than 50 prominent legal advocacy groups, labor unions, faith coalitions, and community organizations stood together to support this ordinance and get it over the finish line.
I will continue to stand with Houstonians against state overreach, push for stronger protections, and ensure this City defends our constitutional rights.
This is not the end of this work. I look forward to working with the community to bring forward solutions to protect families."
The Office of Council Member Fred Flickinger said:
“Council Member Flickinger does not have any information or comment to provide beyond what the City Attorney already provided at this morning’s meeting. The amendment passed today aligns with state and federal law so the City can retain millions of dollars in grants for public safety. ”
The Office of Council Member Twila Carter said:
“A few weeks ago, Chief/Mayor’s press conf set forth a 30 minute limit, today’s ordinance, as I understand is as you outline…”a reasonable amount of time” is now the directive and we are still in compliance."
The Office of Council Member Tiffany Thomas said:
“Council Member Thomas voted against the amendment today, standing firm with her constituents and the principle of local authority. As we see with Gov. Abbott’s recent statement, it’s evident that even when the City concedes, the goalpost often still moves. For this reason, she remains committed to the belief that state leadership should not dictate how city-elected officials govern their local communities.”
The Houston Police Department has not yet confirmed whether it will formally agree to the terms outlined by the state.
A spokesperson referred questions to the mayor’s office, which has not responded.
HPD will also need to update its internal policies to reflect the new ordinance, a process the union president says could take days to weeks.
For now, funding tied to the agreement remains frozen as state and local leaders continue negotiations.