Houston mayor orders police to limit ICE cooperation after Democratic sweep
John Whitmire says move aims to reduce fear across the community and that 'elections matter'
John Whitmire, the mayor of Houston, issued an executive order Friday directing the city's police to sharply limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, telling officers to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) only when someone is arrested for a jailable offense and has an administrative ICE warrant. The directive reverses a policy Whitmire adopted under pressure from outgoing Republican Governor Greg Abbott and comes days after Democrats swept statewide offices in Texas for the first time in decades.