Whitmire Again Addresses HPD/ICE-Leaves Out Non-Safety Traffic Stops & Blames Protestors Rather Than ICE For Trouble

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​Mayor Whitmire and HPD Chief Diaz held a press conference today, 3/11, about HPD working with ICE. Above you see a picture of the press conference. 

I encourage you to watch it yourself. It’s 43 minutes. 

Mayor Whitmire & Chief Diaz were responding to a report in the Houston Chronicle that said HPD had transported 2 people directly to ICE & how HPD interactions with ICE are significantly up.

The Mayor & Chief said there would now be a specific police directive saying don't drive people to ICE custody, that ICE will be given 30 minutes to respond to calls from HPD & that when a civil immigration warrant pops up from an HPD interaction, that a sergeant will now be called to the scene.

A few reactions:

1. Mayor Whitmire continues to imply that the people protesting against ICE in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis are to blame for the conflict seen in those cities. It is so offensive. The issue was /is a federal government using masked goons for ethnic cleansing. Renee Good and Alex Pretti are not responsible for their deaths at the hands of ICE. Mayor Whitmire's reasoning on this is disgusting.

2. Mayor Whitmire keeps saying that the people opposing ICE and federal policies are office seekers and paid agitators. The reality is most of the work is being done by rank & file Houstonians not connected to any group. We do this on our own time and dime & increasingly at some measure of physical risk. 

(No Kings is an example of this volunteer-led work. There are many March 28 No Kings protests scheduled across the Houston-region. Find one near you.)

3. If the City of Houston will look the other way at ICE rounding up people and sending them without due process to concentration camp facilities, then we can only assume the city will look the other way when Abbott/Trump interfere with Harris County elections in 2026 as they threaten. There is apparently nothing at all that will cause the city to push back. We must continue to organize ourselves and look after ourselves.

4. No matter what horse hockey Chief Diaz offers about the HPD Community Affairs Department, the reality is that program was ended and the officers dedicated to department were reassigned.

5. Below is the response to the press conference today from Democratic Councilmember Alejandra Salinas. She is referencing proposals that Houston City Council stop/inhibit non-safety HPD traffic stops. This policy might lessen interactions that lead to ICE being called & lessen the prospect that Black folks and others are hassled for stuff like tinted windows.

Councilmember Salinas/others must offer an ordinance to Council that has muscle and that is responsive to all communities.

It is clear that Councilmember Salinas believes there is more work to do.

"I commend the Mayor and the Houston Police Department for taking the first step toward additional oversight and addressing some long-standing community concerns. But we cannot stop here. Houston is still requiring police to cooperate with ICE beyond what state law mandates and beyond what other major Texas cities – from Bexar County to the Cities of Austin and Dallas – are doing.....I’m working with my colleagues and community partners to put forward stronger policies and transparency measures that would keep officers focused on addressing serious crime and ensure residents feel safe calling 911 when they need help. I am hopeful we can come together to build on today’s progress to make Houston safer for all residents."
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Let's follow this issue, be involved in the Council debate & act on our own. The next action is when you organize it. The First Amendment is your permit. The only credential needed is your presence. Voting is not going to be enough.

Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM with the exception once each month when it is at 5:00 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember.  The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. You must register to speak by 3 PM the day before. 

The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and past sessions are available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. Here are maps of Council districts so you can see who represents you. 

Here is contact information for Mayor Whitmire & Council--

Mayor Whitmire—832-393-1000 [email protected] 

Democrats: 
At-Large-Alejandra Salinas 832-393-3012  [email protected]
At-Large-Sallie Alcorn 832-393-3017  [email protected]
District B-Tarsha Jackson 832-393-3009  [email protected]
District C-Abbie Kamin 832-393-3004  [email protected]
District D-Carolyn Evans-Shabazz 832-393-3001 [email protected]
District F-Tiffany Thomas 832-393-3002  [email protected]
District H-Mario Castillo 832-393-3002  [email protected]
District I-Joaquin Martinez 832-393-3011 [email protected]
District J-Edward Pollard 832-393-3015  [email protected]
District K-Martha Castex-Tatum 832-393-3016  [email protected]

Republicans: 
At-Large-Julian Ramirez 832-393-3014 [email protected]
At-Large-Willie Davis 832-393-3013 [email protected] 
At-Large-Twila Carter 832-393-3005 [email protected]
District A-Amy Peck 832-393-3010 [email protected]
District E-Fred Flickinger 832-393-3008 [email protected] 
District G-Mary Nan Huffman 832-393-3007 [email protected] ​​​

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