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Houston police officers are now required to notify federal immigration authorities when they encounter individuals with deportation orders listed in the national crime database.
This change follows the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adding 700,000 people with deportation orders to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
Local law enforcement agencies use this database to track warrants, missing persons, stolen property, and other criminal records.
Mandatory Reporting to ICE
According to an email from Executive Chief Thomas Hardin, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, officers must contact federal authorities when a database check shows an individual with a deportation order.
Officers are advised to wait for ICE agents at the scene if feasible.
“If that is not possible, officers will choose an option that does not involve transporting the individual,” Hardin wrote.
This policy update gained attention after Houston police recently alerted ICE about an undocumented driver stopped for a cracked windshield.
ICE Detainers Now in Law Enforcement System
Previously, local police could not access administrative immigration warrants. However, ICE’s decision to add deportation orders to the crime database allows officers to identify undocumented immigrants more easily.
Doug Griffith, spokesperson for the Houston Police Officers’ Union, noted the shift. “We’ve never seen ICE detainers before. Now, if we stop someone with an ICE detainer, we must contact ICE or the relevant agency.”
Houston Police Stance on Immigration Checks
Houston Police Department spokesperson Erika Ramirez clarified that officers follow standard protocol for all active warrants, including those from ICE.
“A warrant is a warrant,” Ramirez told the Texas Tribune. “We always contact the issuing agency to determine the next steps.”
She also stated that officers do not question individuals about their immigration status.
Since 2020, Houston police policy has required officers to notify ICE if a background check reveals an immigration-related warrant.
Community Concerns and Reactions
Cesar Espinosa, director of FIEL Houston, an immigrant rights group, urged officials to clarify the extent of their cooperation with immigration authorities.
“It’s important to consider the impact of such policies,” Espinosa said. “If trust erodes, everyone becomes more vulnerable.”
Houston is home to nearly 550,000 undocumented immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Unlike Houston, some cities have chosen not to enforce ICE detainers. In January, Pittsburgh officials announced they would not arrest or detain individuals based on administrative warrants.
Controversial Arrest Raises Questions
Criticism intensified after Houston officers stopped Jose Armando Lainez Argueta, an undocumented immigrant, for a cracked windshield earlier this month.
Officers called ICE, which detained him. He is currently being held at Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe.
Espinosa warned that the policy could lead to broader immigration enforcement.
“Maybe this is the new normal—that people will be questioned about anything, which could take Houston in a very troubling direction.”
