Texas cities changing ICE cooperation policies

In the wake of the Democrats' sweeping win in the midterm, some Texas cities are now looking to change how they cooperate with ICE. That includes Austin, as Mayor Kirk Watson has instructed Austin police to revise their general orders when it comes to immigration enforcement. Take a closer look at what this could mean for the city, as well as the rest of the country. A potential new era for immigration policy. We don't want people to worry about their workers, their family members. They're students. Houston Mayor John Whitmire announcing last week new orders for the Houston Police Department and when they can contact ICE. Officers will now only contact immigration agents when a person has a jailable offense and an administrative warrant. This shift in policy comes after a sweeping win in the midterms for Democrats across the nation and in Texas, including the defeat of Governor Greg Abbott. And if the police department does not come up with rules that comply, then they're going to lose the money. Abbott had previously threatened to pull state funding from cities like Austin if they did not cooperate with ICE, causing the department to tweak its policies. But now that Abbott is soon to be out of the picture, a change could be on the way. In a statement posted to the city's message board, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has instructed APD Chief Lisa Davis to update her general orders with immigration enforcement. Watson pointed to new state leadership taking over in January, saying he expects to better partner with the state on civil immigration without threats and unnecessary pressure. The winds of change have spoken. The people of the state of Texas and of the United States have spoken. For immigration attorney Thomas Esparza, he's not surprised. Currently, if APD comes across someone with an administrative warrant, they're required to report it to ICE when operationally feasible, which he says has led to fear in the Austin immigrant community. They're afraid to call the police because they're afraid that the police We'll turn them in to ICE. This all comes after a recent interview on 60 Minutes, where President Trump admitted his immigration policies were too tough. You think your deportation policy went too far? It was too tough. I think it might be too tough. Trump goes on to say he would be willing to work with Democrats on forming new immigration policies. And with Democrats holding much of the power across the country and in Texas, as far as a belief's change is on the horizon. I see at the federal level, I see there's going to be a lot more willingness Thank Solve some problems. I see a change coming from the state a little bit at a time, from the court system a little you bit at a time. very much.