(The Center Square) – An emergency city council meeting scheduled for Friday was canceled, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said, after having constructive conversations with Gov. Greg Abbott.
As their conversations were ongoing, AG Ken Paxton sued the city, in what some are saying is politically motivated at a time when he is running for U.S. Senate. Abbott has also chastised Paxton twice in recent months alleging blunders in his litigation strategy, The Center Square has reported.
“After discussions with the Governor’s office, our deadline to respond to the state’s freeze on public safety grant funding has been moved from Monday, April 20, to Wednesday, April 22,” Whitmire said in a statement late Thursday. “Therefore, the Special Called Houston City Council meeting has been postponed until Wednesday, April 22, to give my administration additional time to continue productive discussions with the Governor’s office, City Council members, law enforcement, and the community. This strikes a balance to protect our people, essential services, and our finances.”
“As I said earlier, this is a crisis. We have already lost state grant funding, which affects the Houston Police and Fire Departments, public safety services across our city, preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the Department of Homeland Security. Our public safety departments rely on a combination of local, state, and federal resources to operate effectively,” he added.
He also emphasized, “We are making significant progress through constructive conversations.”
Despite this, an hour after Whitmire’s announcement, Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office announced he sued the mayor and city council members.
At issue is an ordinance the city council passed last week that restricts Houston police officers from contacting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and reporting their actions when they encounter an illegal foreign national with an administrative warrant. The warrants are issued after the individual has already gone through due process and a federal judge has issued a deportation order, The Center Square reported.
The ordinance conflicts with certification requirements for a grant administered through the governor’s public safety office requiring full participation with U.S. Department of Homeland Security programs and procedures and federal law. The certification requires the signer to acknowledge that if the city fails to comply with the requirement, the PSO could terminate any grant the governor’s office made to the city. Because Whitmire certified the application and the city council passed the ordinance, the governor’s office withdrew the funding, The Center Square reported.
Paxton’s office filed the lawsuit in Fort Bend County, not in Harris County where Houston is located. The lawsuit alleges the ordinance was “designed to subvert state law that mandates cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officials” and violates state law, SB4. SB 4 prohibits local authorities from limiting law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and requires local officers to comply with ICE detainer requests.
The lawsuit also argues the ordinance is also unconstitutional. The city council has maintained the ordinance is constitutional.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also reintroduced a bill to eliminate sanctuary cities in the U.S. He previously introduced the bill in 2016; 53 senators voted for it but not enough to meet the 60 vote threshold. The bill prohibits states and cities from receiving federal funding that prevent law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. It also creates “a right of action for victims of criminal illegal aliens who are released from sanctuary jurisdictions and reoffend in other states so that those affected can seek justice in court.”
“For far too long, sanctuary cities across the nation have sidestepped federal immigration law and created safe havens for dangerous illegal aliens, putting the safety and security of Americans at risk and undermining the rule of law,” Cornyn said. The bill protects local law enforcement and supports “victims of criminal illegal aliens who are released from sanctuary jurisdictions and reoffend in other states to seek justice.”
He did so as ICE continues to arrest violent criminals in sanctuary jurisdictions. Recent arrests in New England were of fugitives who sought to evade justice by illegally entering the U.S. during the Biden administration and headed for sanctuary jurisdictions. Despite prohibitions on local law enforcement to work with ICE, ICE Boston agents located and apprehended the fugitives, all wanted for murder or homicide, The Center Square reported.
ICE Houston agents have also been arresting fugitives and some of the most violent criminals in the United States. They include hundreds of child sex offenders, those committing intoxicated manslaughter, child predators, murderers, alleged terrorists and gang members, and men committing violent sexual crimes after they entered the country as minors, The Center Square reported.
ICE Houston field office agents aren’t just operating in Houston, they’re operating in 58 counties in Southeast Texas, The Center Square has reported.
