[Breitbart] Houston could lose critical police, fire, and homeland security funding after state officials ruled that the city’s newly adopted immigration ordinance violates its public safety grant requirements, Mayor John Whitmire said Monday. The city stands to lose approximately $110 million in state grant funding if it does not reverse the newly enacted policy.
Mayor Whitmire said in a written statement that his office was notified by Governor Greg Abbott’s Public Safety Office that Texas will withdraw recently approved grant funding because the recent vote by the city council changing support for immigration enforcement violated the agreement between the city and the state, according to a report by KHOU, CBS11 in Houston.
“This is a crisis situation,” Whitmire said. “The potential loss of state funding poses real challenges for the Houston Police and Fire Departments and will impact public safety services across our city, the 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations, and the Homeland Security Department.”
Fox 26 Houston reported directly from the governor’s letter to Mayor Whitmire, writing:
This letter serves to notify you that this new ordinance, Section 34-41 of the Houston Code of Ordinances, is in breach of your April 15, 2025, certification and imperils all grant agreements between the City and PSO (Public Safety Office) for Fiscal Year 2026. Please respond by April 20, 2026, to confirm that the City will not enforce, and will to repeal, the ordinance. Failure to do so may result in PSO exercising its sole discretion to terminate all such grants. Our records indicate that the City has received roughly $110 million in PSO grants in Fiscal Year 2026. If PSO elects to terminate those grants, the City would be required to repay to PSO the entire amount on or before the 30th day after PSO terminates.
City Council members recently approved a policy that restricts the Houston Police Department from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detainers during traffic stops. Council Member Alejandra Salinas claims that honoring immigration detainers in during traffic stops violates the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a claim frequently made by sanctuary jurisdictions.
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