Paxton Threatens Houston Over ICE Ordinance-We Must Lead The Pushback Ourselves

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​This afternoon, 4/10, I listened to far-right extremist State Senator Paul Bettencourt and two other bad people, interview Attorney General Ken Paxton on one of the local hate radio stations about the recently passed City of Houston/ICE ordinance.

It was a show called "The Amigos." It was a terrible program. You see the show above.

Here are my notes from things Paxton said:
“ ….Out of control cities”
“ We will absolutely stop them from doing this”
He said Democrats do things like this to win elections with undocumented voters.
He said our elected officials can be removed from office. He made a threat to do so.
He agreed with a question from a host that we are blocking all cooperation with ICE. This is not correct.
“It is pretty clear the city is violating state law.”
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We as a city can't even have the least bit of autonomy from cruel and authoritarian federal policy? Our elected officials are apparently going to be threatened with removal if they try.

The Houston Chronicle reported this morning that HPD put out a memo saying don't yet enforce the new ordinance. My understanding is the ordinance is supposed to take effect Monday. But the Chronicle reported that there was no timeline in the memo.

Who runs city government? Is it our municipal elected officials, or is it HPD and the police union working with Paul Bettencourt and Ken Paxton?

Paxton's answers again hold the prospect of interference in Harris County elections. The right asserts we win with illegal votes.

The work ahead is ours. We need a culture and a capacity of rapid response and fully grassroots action. We can't be dependent of advocacy groups that answer to donors first, or on elected officials who are rarely reliable allies in a tough spot.

The next action is when you organize it. The First Amendment is your permit. The only credential needed is your presence. The work ahead is ours. 

Here is a KUHF story about the ordinance. 

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