Texas mayor instructs police to limit cooperation with ICE
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has issued an executive order limiting local police cooperation with ICE, following a fatal shooting involving an immigration officer. The policy change restricts police from contacting ICE unless an arrest involves a jailable offense and an internal administrative warrant.
Why it matters
This policy shift highlights the ongoing tension between local municipal governance and federal immigration enforcement in the United States.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, John Whitmire is also calling on Congress to change immigration laws
The mayor of Houston, Texas, has directed the city's police to limit co-operation with federal immigration officials.
The move by John Whitmire, a Democrat, comes on the heels of stunning victories by the party in Texas during this week's midterm elections. It breaks with policy set by Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who lost his re-election bid.
"I do this to begin a healing process," Whitmire said on Friday, and to "reduce fear and anxiety across our community". He added: "I also do this knowing that elections matter."
There has been months of public outcry in Houston after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer fatally shot a man who was driving to work.
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