Gov. Greg Abbott is threating to pull hundreds of millions of dollars of funding in Houston over a recently passed ordinance regarding local officers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The office of Gov. Greg Abbott said on April 14 that Texas would pull $110 million in public safety spending for Houston — including for the Police Department — unless Houston Mayor John Whitmire vowed to stop enforcing a new city ordinance outlining how its police officers engage with ICE, reported the New York Times.
The “Prop A” ordinance removed how long Houston officers would hold a person after alerting immigration agents, which was 30 minutes.
“Effective March 11, 2026, HPD issued an updated internal directive requiring supervisory review for administrative hits and directing release if ICE cannot respond within 30 minutes of warrant,” the proposition read. “While this directive adds oversight, officers are still required to contact ICE based solely on an administrative warrant hit, and it does not resolve the constitutional concern that routine traffic stops may not be prolonged beyond the time reasonably necessary to complete their lawful purpose.”
Whitmire shared the letter from the Office of Gov. Greg Abbott on his Facebook page, which came a few days after a letter from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has started an open investigation into whether the ordinance violates Senate Bill 4, a controversial state law that authorizes local police to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants.
“Last week, I voted for the revised “Prop A” Ordinance on Immigration believing it affirmed our original policy: Houston enforces state and local law-not federal law, and we are not ICE,” Whitmire said. “However, Governor Abbott disagrees.”
Whitmire said the cut in funding would be a “crisis situation” for public safety services across Houston, including preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Our public safety departments rely on a combination of local, state, and federal resources to operate effectively,” Whitmire said “We have significant work ahead and I’m considering all options.”
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on x; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Gov. Abbott threatens to pull $110M funding over Houston ICE ordinance
Reporting by Natassia Paloma, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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