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Sanctuary city bends knee to Texas governor after he threatened cutting $110 million in funding

April 23, 2026 | | Print Article

Houston, a left-wing city, has bent the knee to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott after he threatened cutting $110 million in funding.

The drama between Houston and Abbott began earlier this month when the City Council voted to eliminate a policy forcing local police to wait for the arrival of U.S. Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents when dealing with a suspect with an immigration warrant.

“An ICE administrative warrant is civil in nature and, alone, does not justify a stop, arrest, or continued detention by local law enforcement, like [the Houston Police Department],” the new policy read, according to local station KRIV.

“If independent reasonable suspicion of a criminal offense sufficient to justify arrest or continued detention does not exist, the individual must be released,” the policy continued.

The decision prompted an immediate clapback from top Texas officials, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed a lawsuit against Houston Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston City Council:

“I will not allow any local official to push sanctuary policies that make our communities less safe,” Paxton said in a statement. “Under my watch, no Texas city will be a safe harbor for illegals.”

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“The Texas Legislature passed strong legislation that specifically stops the type of lawless ordinance that Houston adopted. Houston has no authority to ignore the Constitution and the laws duly enacted by the Legislature. I’m calling on Houston to immediately repeal this ordinance,” he added.

Abbott, meanwhile, warned Houston that the new policy violated the terms of $110 million in Texas grants that the city was enjoying.

“Cities in Texas are expected to make the streets safer, not more deadly,” Abbott’s spokesperson, Andrew Mahaleris, said in a statement.

The threat was also issued to Dallas and Austin because of similar policy decisions by their left-wing officials.

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The governor subsequently set a deadline for this Wednesday, saying that the city must repeal the new policy by then or refund $110 million in grants.

When Wednesday arrived, the city, to its credit, decided to modify its new policy

“After more than two hours of discussion during its weekly meeting, the Houston City Council voted 13-4 to make changes to the ordinance,” according to the Associated Press.

“The amended ordinance deletes language that highlighted that administrative warrants — versus warrants signed by a judge — that ICE agents use to take individuals into custody are not enough for officers to arrest or detain an individual,” the reporting continued.

Whitmire made it clear in a statement that he felt that the city had no other option.

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“We have no alternative for Houston to survive, prepare for (the World Cup), patrol these neighborhoods,” he said. “We’ve got to have today the restoration of the $114 million.”

Abbott appears to have accepted the modified policy.

“This vote is a step in the right direction after Houston leaders put public safety at risk with reckless policies that undermined law enforcement,” Mahaleris said.

But there’s a catch. Speaking on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” late Wednesday, Abbott revealed that the Houston Police Department “has not fully agreed to fully comply.”

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“If the Houston Police Department does not fully comply with the terms of that agreement to detain any illegal immigrant they encounter and to notify DHS of the encounter, then the city and the police department still stand to lose that $110 million,” the governor said.

Vivek Saxena
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