The Houston Police Department has dramatically increased the number of times it contacts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with new data showing that more than half of those calls in 2025 have stemmed from routine traffic stops.
According to internal records, HPD officers contacted ICE at least 58 times following traffic stops as of May 31—up sharply from just one or two such cases in previous years. About 24% of those incidents resulted in ICE detaining the individual involved.
The spike comes in response to an internal HPD policy that directs officers to notify ICE when they encounter an administrative immigration warrant during a traffic stop or other public contact. These civil warrants—uploaded to a federal law enforcement database by ICE—flag individuals who have pending deportation orders, but are not tied to criminal charges.
Immigrant advocates and legal experts say the policy may erode public trust and violate constitutional protections.
“This is creating a dangerous arrest-to-deportation pipeline,” said Jennefer Canales-Pelaez of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. “People are afraid to call the police—even when they’re victims of crime—because any interaction could lead to deportation.”
A memo issued earlier this year by HPD Executive Assistant Chief Thomas Hardin instructed officers to contact ICE immediately upon identifying an immigration warrant during a stop, and to wait a “reasonable time” for ICE’s response. Officers reportedly still have discretion over which names are entered into the warrant database—an issue that critics say opens the door to racial profiling.
City officials, including Mayor John Whitmire, have insisted that HPD does not assist with immigration raids or target people based solely on their status. However, they defend the current policy as a legal obligation, noting that immigration warrants stored in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) must be acted upon when discovered.
“There is no proactive targeting,” said Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union. “But once that warrant is in the system, the officer is required to follow federal procedure—or risk putting the city’s funding in jeopardy.”
Civil liberties advocates warn the policy may also infringe on Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures—particularly if officers extend the duration of traffic stops while waiting for ICE agents to respond.
In addition to constitutional concerns, critics say the policy places unnecessary strain on HPD resources. Houston’s police response times are already at 30-year highs, and officers waiting on ICE can further delay services elsewhere in the city.
The controversy comes as immigration remains a heated issue in Texas politics and as local governments wrestle with their role in federal enforcement. Some community groups are calling for City Council to hold hearings on the matter, and at least one council member has expressed interest in revisiting the policy.
“The people of Houston deserve safety and fairness—not fear,” said Council Member Letitia Plummer. “We cannot allow a traffic stop to become a deportation sentence.”