Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against the City of Houston, seeking to block a recently adopted ordinance limiting cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Fort Bend County, argues the ordinance violates a state law that prohibits local governments from adopting policies to “prohibit or materially limit” cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Houston’s ordinance, adopted last week, eliminates a prior 30-minute window for ICE to respond, but also goes further by prohibiting officers from stopping, arresting, or continuing detention based solely on administrative immigration warrants. These are provisions the state lawsuit argues violate Texas law.
“I will not allow any local official to push sanctuary policies that make our communities less safe,” said Paxton in a statement. “Under my watch, no Texas city will be a safe harbor for illegals.”
Paxton is asking the court to declare the ordinance invalid and order Houston officials to repeal it, halt implementation, and ensure full compliance with state immigration laws.
The city council was originally slated to meet on Friday, April 17, to do just that; the meeting has since been postponed to Wednesday, April 22.
The legal action comes amid mounting pressure on Houston city leaders. After initially supporting the ordinance, Mayor John Whitmire has since called for its repeal following warnings from the governor’s office that the city could lose more than $110 million in public safety grant funding.
On Thursday, Whitmire said the city is continuing discussions with state officials, law enforcement, and community stakeholders, adding that the goal is to “protect our people, essential services, and our finances.”
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
