Hitchcock, Galveston County City Council Rejects Agreement With ICE-Says Would Not Be Best For Residents

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The Hitchcock, Galveston County City Council voted 3-2 to reject formal Hitchcock Police cooperation with ICE. 

Picture above is Hitchcock City Council from the Channel 13 report on the vote. I looked for a replay o the session so I could watch the debate in full. But the session is not on the city YouTube page or the city website. 

Hitchcock has a 2020 Census population of 7,301. The city is essentially 50% white, 25% Black and 25% Hispanic. 

From The Galveston County Daily News:
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The vote followed a lengthy discussion over whether the financial and investigative benefits of joining ICE’s 287(g) program outweighed concerns the agreement could undermine public confidence in the Hitchcock Police Department and leave immigrant residents fearful of routine encounters with officers....The proposal would have authorized Police Chief Wilmon Smith to enter into a memorandum of agreement with ICE under the program’s Task Force Model. City documents said selected officers would have received federal training and certification before performing immigration-related functions under ICE supervision....Officers would not have been permitted to stop drivers based on suspected immigration status, visit homes or businesses to check residents’ status or establish immigration checkpoints, he said....“If we suspect somebody being here illegally and we see them driving down the street, we’re not going to go stop that vehicle,” Evans said. “That would be a clear violation of the law, and it will not be approved. It will not be tolerated.” .... Council member Shawn Kadlecek said he trusted the department’s current leadership but worried about what could happen under a future chief or council. " What happens when the chief retires?” Kadlecek said. “What guarantees are in place that this is going to be run the correct way with new personnel in place?” The police department had built trust and respect within Hitchcock, particularly among minority residents, and questioned whether joining the program was worth risking that relationship, Kadlecek said. “I don’t feel that what we can gain from it is worth losing the faith of half of your community,” he said. ....Participation also could have provided the city access to federal immigration databases and reimbursement for eligible officer time, equipment, technology and vehicle expenses, Evans said....City documents, however, state Hitchcock would remain responsible for participating officers’ salaries and benefits, local transportation, administrative supplies and equipment used during regular operations. ICE would provide training personnel, training materials, travel expenses associated with training and federal technology infrastructure.

​Here is an overview from San Antonio Channel 29 of which Texas counties and cities have some type of 287(g) agreement as well as an overview of the program. There are different types of involvement which are discussed in the Channel 29 report. Neither Harris County or Houston are in a 287(g) agreement. Texas state law mandates that Texas counties will have to do so before the end of 2026.

​It's great to see Hitchcock do the right thing for its people and not just reflexively do what the police department wanted. I often discuss protests in small cities across the Houston-region. There are allies and people doing the right thing every place you go. 

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