Key Facts

• Whitmire, a Democrat, directed the Houston Police Department to make the change through an executive order.
• Under the new policy, police will contact ICE when someone arrested for a jailable offense also has an administrative ICE warrant.
• Previously, officers were required to notify ICE when a person they encountered had such a warrant in a federal law-enforcement database.
• Whitmire called on Congress to change immigration rules and said ICE needs better training, body cameras, and de-escalation training.
• The policy follows public outcry after an ICE officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican national, in Houston.
• Austin has also begun making a similar policy change.
• A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized efforts to limit cooperation with ICE.
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to withhold millions in funding from Houston, Dallas, and Austin unless their police cooperate fully with federal immigration officials.