Sanctuary city backs off after GOP governor put it in ‘crisis’ mode with $110 million threat

The Democrat-majority Houston City Council backed off a sanctuary-style policy limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to remove more than $110 million in state funding, forcing the city to reverse course under financial pressure. 

This is the latest clash in a broader battle between state leaders and local officials over immigration enforcement.

The Houston City Council voted earlier this month to pass a policy eliminating the requirement that police wait at least 30 minutes for ICE to arrive when a suspect has an immigration warrant. 

The move was condemned by Abbott, who accused the council of "trying to renege on their obligations" after signing onto a public safety agreement to receive state funding that required cooperation with immigration enforcement through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Abbott set a Wednesday deadline for the city to repeal its new policy or refund the state more than $110 million.

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On Wednesday, the city council, at the urging of Democrat Mayor John Whitmire, overwhelmingly voted to soften the policy. The city removed strict limits that barred officers from prolonging stops for ICE-related purposes. It also allows officers to extend detentions if they cited another legitimate law enforcement reason. The amended policy passed in a 13-4 vote after hours of tense debate among council members.

In response, a spokesperson for Abbott called the vote a "step in the right direction" in the face of the city’s "reckless policies," saying they undermined law enforcement.

This comes after Abbott said last week that city officials would face "extraordinarily difficult financial choices" if they did not back down.

"Let’s be clear about a couple things," Abbott said last week, "If the city council were serious about public safety, they would not allow illegal immigrants to roam their streets and kill people like Jocelyn Nungaray."

He added that "there are other people like that in Houston who have been raped, assaulted and victimized by people who are here illegally and allowed to roam the streets."

After the vote, the governor’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Abbott "has been clear" that "cities in Texas must fully comply with state law and cooperate with federal immigration authorities to keep dangerous criminals off our streets."

"This vote is a step in the right direction after Houston leaders put public safety at risk with reckless policies that undermined law enforcement," the spokesperson said, adding that Abbott "expects any policy HPD [the Houston Police Department] ultimately adopts to comply with the city’s certification that it would fully cooperate with DHS.

"Gov. Abbott will continue to use every necessary tool to protect Texans," the spokesperson said.

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Before the vote, Whitmire framed the situation as a "crisis" for the city that would affect the police and fire departments, impacting public safety services and preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

During the contentious session Wednesday, he stressed that funding streams often "come with conditions" with which "I don’t always agree." He urged council members to vote in favor of amending the policy, saying it was a question of whether Houston would "remain strong."

On the other hand, Council Member Abbie Kamin, also a Democrat, railed against amending the policy, saying this was "not the first time that Abbott and [Texas Attorney General Ken] Paxton have tried to bully the city."

Paxton, who is opposing incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in a U.S. Senate bid, launched a lawsuit against the city over the policy earlier this month.

The same day as the vote, ICE Houston announced it had arrested 277 illegal immigrants in just two weeks, April 6–17, highlighting ongoing enforcement activity in the region. The group included 17 child predators, six murderers, 16 drug traffickers and 15 gang members or associates, officials said. Other criminal offenses committed by illegal immigrants arrested in ICE’s Houston roundup included 16 convictions for fraud- or forgery-related offenses, 11 for hit-and-run and 74 convictions for assault-related offenses.

Combined, the 277 illegal immigrants had been convicted of 751 criminal offenses and had illegally entered the U.S. 654 times.

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ICE Houston criticized the city council, saying these "monsters" had been arrested with assistance from federal, state and local law enforcement partners as city officials "continue to flirt with sanctuary policies to limit cooperation with ICE."

Paul McBride, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston, stressed that it is thanks to cooperation with local and state law enforcement partners that "we’ve removed hundreds of dangerous criminal illegal alien child predators, murderers, drug traffickers, gang members, and thieves from the local community in just two weeks and prevented an untold number of U.S. citizens from becoming victims."

"If these measures are implemented to limit that cooperation, there will be immediate impacts to public safety, national security, and border security," McBride warned. 

"Tragically, the worst impact will be felt in the migrant community that these same officials claim they’re protecting, because that’s where criminal illegal aliens commit the majority of their offenses."