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Houston police officers are now required to contact federal immigration authorities when they encounter individuals listed with deportation orders in the national crime database.
The new directive follows a move by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to add 700,000 individuals with deportation orders to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
This system, widely used by local law enforcement nationwide, helps track warrants, missing persons, and other criminal records.
According to an internal email obtained by The Houston Chronicle, Executive Chief Thomas Hardin instructed officers to notify federal authorities whenever they find a deportation order match in the system.
Officers must then follow federal guidance, which may include remaining at the scene until ICE arrives.
However, if federal agents are unavailable, officers should avoid transporting the individual.
Recent Case Sparks Debate
This policy shift follows a recent incident where Houston police called ICE on an undocumented immigrant stopped for a cracked windshield.
The case has intensified discussions on local law enforcement’s role in immigration matters.
Currently, over 1.4 million individuals nationwide have active deportation orders.
The inclusion of deportation orders in the crime database now allows local law enforcement to flag undocumented immigrants—something that was not previously accessible.
Doug Griffith, spokesperson for the Houston Police Officers’ Union, noted that officers had never seen ICE detainers in their system before.
Now, if a background check reveals one, they are required to notify ICE or the relevant federal agency.
Law Enforcement Perspective
Houston Police Department spokesperson Erika Ramirez emphasized that it has always been department policy to contact the agency issuing a warrant.
She clarified that officers do not ask about immigration status but must follow protocol when a warrant appears in the NCIC database.
Since 2020, Houston police policy has required officers to inform ICE if a background check returns a match linked to an immigration detainer.
However, officials have not disclosed further details regarding the internal email outlining this latest directive.
Community Concerns
Cesar Espinosa, director of immigrant rights group FIEL Houston, raised concerns about the potential impact of increased cooperation between police and immigration authorities.
He stressed that such policies could erode trust within immigrant communities, making them hesitant to report crimes or seek assistance.
With nearly 550,000 undocumented immigrants living in the Houston area, the enforcement of this policy could have widespread effects.
Unlike Houston, some cities, such as Pittsburgh, have chosen not to detain individuals based on administrative warrants.
Criticism grew after police detained Jose Armando Lainez Argueta, an undocumented immigrant, earlier this month.
Officers stopped him for a cracked windshield, discovered his deportation order, and contacted ICE, leading to his detention at Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe.
“This could lead us down a very dark road,” Espinosa warned, urging officials to reconsider the policy’s long-term consequences.
