Tag Archives: ICE

Council amends ICE ordinance

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

What a waste of time. Houston City Council amended its recently approved policy limiting police officers’ interactions with federal immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott’s office threatened $114 million in city grants, despite some council members saying the changes will dilute … Continue reading →

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Who wants to listen to the lawyers about the HPD/ICE ordinance?

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Not Mayor Whitmire, who already has the surrender documents drawn up. Mayor John Whitmire says the city must walk back its new policy limiting Houston police officers’ cooperation with federal immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull $114 million in grants … Continue reading →

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Possible reconsideration of HPD/ICE ordinance pushed to next week

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Mayor John Whitmire has delayed Houston City Council’s vote on whether to revoke its new policy limiting the police department’s interactions with immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott’s office extended the city’s deadline to make a decision as he threatens to pull $114 million in … Continue reading →

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Whitmire waffles on ICE ordinance

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. And predictable. Mayor John Whitmire last week joined his City Council colleagues in voting to limit Houston police officers’ interactions with federal immigration agents, but now says the city must “correct” its policy after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to … Continue reading →

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The El Paso connection to Minneapolis

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff. As hundreds of federal immigration agents flooded into Minnesota for Operation Metro Surge, this winter, flights filled with detainees ramped up at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Thousands of miles away, in El Paso, Marisa Limón Garza’s phone started ringing — … Continue reading →

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Council passes ordinance to limit HPD’s interactions with ICE

Posted on April 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston City Council approved a proposal from three city council members limiting Houston police officers’ cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday, with Mayor John Whitmire in support. The proposal by Council Members Alejandra Salinas, Edward … Continue reading →

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Council HPD/ICE ordinance mostly moves forward

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A proposal to change the way Houston police officers work with immigration agents looks set to move ahead with two of its three original provisions after the City Attorney’s office rejected one of them, saying it would have violated … Continue reading →

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Fewer people going to Dilley detention center

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Take the wins where you can. Only 100 people are currently detained in the federal government’s controversy-plagued family detention center at Dilley, nonprofit news outlet ProPublica reports. That compares to an average daily population of more than 900 in January. The … Continue reading →

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Ordinance proposed to officially limit HPD’s interactions with ICE

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent. A trio of Houston City Council members are pushing a plan to change the way Houston police officers work with federal immigration agents, sidestepping Mayor John Whitmire’s authority a week after the mayor announced a more modest tweak to … Continue reading →

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So where are we now with HPD and ICE?

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start here, which I think frames the issue in the best practical terms. Mayor John Whitmire’s denials finally hit a wall. When he first took office, the mayor said the Houston Police Department wasn’t working with U.S. Immigration and … Continue reading →

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Bexar County pushes back against a proposed ICE detention center

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Bexar County Commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to formally oppose a proposed immigration detention facility on San Antonio’s East Side, approving a resolution that leaves the door open to join potential legal challenges against the project. The vote marks the governmental body’s … Continue reading →

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Mayor Whitmire finally says something about HPD and ICE

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Took him long enough. A day after a Chronicle report found Houston police officers in at least two instances arrested drivers and personally transported them to immigration agents, Mayor John Whitmire told Univision Houston the arrests violated department policies. Whitmire, who hasn’t responded … Continue reading →

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Measles in El Paso

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Great. Just great. Seventeen measles cases have been reported in El Paso, including 13 at the Camp East Montana Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, health officials said Thursday. The four community cases in El Paso aren’t connected to the … Continue reading →

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Ruben Ray Martinez

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Remember his name. Three months into President Donald Trump’s mass deportation undertaking, an ICE officer shot and killed a U.S. citizen in South Padre Island, long before immigration agents killed another American in Minnesota that prompted outrage across the nation, … Continue reading →

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ICE is buying up warehouses

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

In San Antonio. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Wednesday that the agency has purchased land and a facility in San Antonio to expand its detention operations, though officials declined to disclose the location of the property in question. In … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed challenging “Kavanaugh stops”

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A group of Hispanic Texans are asking a federal judge to rule that ICE agents can’t detain U.S. citizens or require those people to prove their citizenship in order to be freed from custody. In a complaint filed in … Continue reading →

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From the “using a sledgehammer to swat a fly” department

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

LOL. The Texas Education Agency on Tuesday warned school districts that they could be taken over by the state if they help facilitate students walking out of class to attend protests. The agency released guidance after Gov. Greg Abbott directed Education Commissioner Mike Morath to … Continue reading →

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The Rice ICE tracker

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent work. Jack Vu and Abby Manuel had been part of a volunteer program teaching weekly computer and Spanish classes to kids in Houston’s East End for more than a year, when one day the kids stopped showing up. Masked … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Chron picks Kamin for County Attorney nomination

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

Their second endorsement for primary season. Now Democratic primary voters must decide who can best build on Menefee’s legacy. Luckily, they have two formidable candidates to choose from: Audrie Lawton-Evans, a civil litigation attorney and civil court at law judge, … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott deserves no credit for this

Posted on January 28, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

So don’t give him any. The White House’s response to the latest Minneapolis killing is fomenting rumblings — including in Texas — from some of President Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters. The NRA, law enforcement groups, Fox News and even Republican … Continue reading →

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How to stand with Minnesota against ICE

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

This is both good and terrible to know. We cannot resist tyranny alone. If you’re outside Minnesota, here are things you can do to help.·  · Call your elected officials. ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are the “jackbooted government … Continue reading →

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Harris County joins anti-ICE amicus in Minnesota lawsuit

Posted on January 26, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County has joined an amicus brief in the case Minnesota v. Noem, supporting the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in a lawsuit against the federal government’s “Operation Metro Surge” … Continue reading →

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Full Fifth Circuit hears SB4 appeal

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

As always, brace yourselves. Three years ago, Texas lawmakers passed a landmark law that would let state police arrest people suspected of having entered the country illegally by crossing the border. Such authority has long been the sole responsibility of the federal … Continue reading →

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Council proposal to limit HPD cooperation with ICE fails

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

I’m annoyed by this, but it’s not the end of the line. A City Council proposal that would have given Houston police officers discretion over calling federal immigration officials during traffic stops has officially met its demise. The policy change … Continue reading →

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DPS investigating Flock

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Charles Kuffner

More of an administrative matter than anything else, but potentially with real consequences. State troopers are investigating the company behind thousands of license plate-reading cameras used by police agencies and private groups across the Houston region, over claims the company … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS rejects Texas National Guard deployment to Chicago

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

This was an early Christmas present. The Supreme Court upheld a block on the National Guard’s deployment to Chicago Tuesday, dealing the Trump administration a significant blow and embracing an interpretation of the laws that govern the Guard’s activation that … Continue reading →

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The tariff effect on restaurants

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: They’re not good. Nearly half of all Texas restaurants saw their revenues decrease over the last quarter, according to a new report from the Texas Restaurant Association. The vast majority — almost nine out of 10 — say … Continue reading →

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Texas National Guard coming home from Chicago

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully in time for Thanksgiving. Texas National Guard troops are expected to soon return from Illinois amid legal challenges that halt their deployment to the Chicago area, several media outlets reported this weekend. In early October, Gov. Greg Abbott authorized the federal … Continue reading →

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Whitmire finally admits that HPD is cooperating with ICE

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Goddamn it. Houston Mayor John Whitmire acknowledged Saturday that the city is cooperating with federal immigration authorities after denying for months that Houston police would get involved with immigration enforcement. Whitmire was a guest speaker at a conference Saturday hosted by former Kemah Mayor Bill King, a fellow at Rice … Continue reading →

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Harris County joins amicus effort to block Texas National Guard deployment in Chicago

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee has joined a national coalition of more than 100 local government leaders in filing an amicus brief opposing the Trump administration’s unlawful federalization and deployment of Texas National Guard troops to … Continue reading →

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Why is HPD calling ICE so much more often now?

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We deserve some answers. Houston police officers have called federal immigration agents on civilians over 100 times since President Donald Trump took office in January — a jump of more than 1,000% from any of the previous five years, according to public records obtained … Continue reading →

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Home Depot is watching you

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Beware the surveillance cameras. Hundreds of AI-powered automated license plate reading cameras paid for by Lowe’s and Home Depot and stationed in the hardware stores’ parking lots are being fed into a massive surveillance system that law enforcement can access, … Continue reading →

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Fewer crime reports being made

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Fewer people called Houston police each year since 2023, a trend that experts say could have multiple causes and is worth keeping an eye on. Slightly more than 1.1 million calls were made to HPD’s patrol divisions in 2023, … Continue reading →

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Flock responds

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Reporting gets results. Or at least a response. The CEO for Flock cameras has pushed back on recent reporting, including a Chronicle investigation, about the surveillance technology used by Houston police, saying it’s up to local law enforcement to decide … Continue reading →

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