Three San Antonio City Council members are requesting a special meeting to consider an ordinance that would restrict the San Antonio Police Department’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to KSAT. The memo, dated Nov. 6 and signed by Councilmembers Teri Castillo (District 5), Jalen McKee‑Rodriguez (District 2) and Ric Galvan (District 6), asks that the meeting be held no later than 2 p.m. on Nov. 17.
The proposed ordinance would require officers to contact ICE only when a person is already being taken into custody on new charges or other warrants and has a positive National Crime Information Center (NCIC) hit for an ICE administrative warrant. The language explicitly states that merely being, or being suspected of, subject to immigration enforcement “shall not, by itself, be a basis to contact ICE, to prolong any detention, or to take any person into or hold any person in custody.”
The council’s initiative comes amid ongoing tension between Texas state leadership and municipalities over immigration enforcement. In April, Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withhold roughly $200 million in public‑safety funding from Houston, Dallas and Austin unless those cities altered policies that limited police cooperation with ICE. Abbott’s threat was tied to existing state mandates that compel local law‑enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration authorities.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones echoed the council’s concerns in an interview with the San Antonio Current, saying she will ask City Manager Erik Walsh to explore options for ending SAPD cooperation with ICE. Jones argued that police should focus on public safety rather than immigration matters that “make the community less safe when people are afraid to call the police.” She linked the effort to broader priorities, including expanding Medicaid access for the city’s uninsured residents and repealing Abbott’s so‑called “Death Star” law that limits municipal self‑governance.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has already issued an executive order directing his police department to contact ICE only when an individual is arrested for a jailable offense and also has an administrative immigration warrant. While Whitmire’s order took effect immediately, San Antonio’s council would need to vote to adopt a comparable policy.
What’s next: The council is expected to discuss the ordinance at the special meeting on Nov. 17, with a broader vote anticipated at the Dec. 3 A‑Session meeting. Mayor Jones encourages residents to contact their district council offices with ideas on immigration policy and other legislative priorities ahead of the Texas Legislature’s January session.
Sources: ksat.com, sacurrent.com
