The governor changed in Texas, new immigration instructions to the police

In Houston, Texas, USA, restrictions were placed on joint operations and information sharing between local police and federal immigration offices.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire signed an executive order limiting local law enforcement's cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to the news in The New York Times, under the new regulation that came into force, Houston police will no longer report unauthorized immigrants they encounter during routine traffic inspections or minor legal violations to federal units.

Drawing boundaries on the scope of the decision taken, Mayor Whitmire explained that the exemption in question does not cover serious criminal cases.

Whitmire noted that if people with a finalized detention order or an official search warrant issued by ICE are identified, existing notification and delivery procedures will be applied exactly.

GOVERNOR ABBOTT'S POLICIES CREATED PUBLIC ANXIETY

Criticizing Texas Governor Greg Abbott's obligatory obligation on local security units to be in constant contact with the federal immigration office, Whitmire emphasized that this practice creates serious concern throughout society.

Mayor Whitmire argued that the ordinance he signed was directly linked to the results of the last midterm elections in the state.

Recalling the timetable for the change of administration, Whitmire evaluated the political situation after the elections with the following words: "We will not have a new administration until January. However, I am ready to make a responsible decision that we will switch to a more effective policy in the next two months."

In the midterm elections held in Texas on November 3, Democratic Party candidate Gina Hinojosa managed to defeat her Republican opponent and current governor Greg Abbott.

With her election victory, Hinojosa became the first female governor of Latin American descent in the history of the state of Texas.

THE ORGANIZATION AT THE CENTER OF FEDERAL SUPERVISION: ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal law enforcement agency operating under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

This federal agency, which was established in 2003 after the September 11 attacks in the country, is responsible for enforcing customs, trade and immigration laws within the country's borders.

Equipped with broad powers, the agency is the second largest federal agency with the authority to conduct criminal investigations throughout the United States, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The operational structure within the federal agency is divided into two primary core specialties that apply directly in the field.

The first of these units, Enforcement and Transfer Operations (ERO), coordinates the detection, detention and deportation processes of persons with illegal or irregular status within the borders of the United States.

ERO, publicly known as "immigration police", actually manages deportation centers and carries out deportation operations.

Internal Security Investigations (HSI), which constitutes the second main backbone of the organization, examines customs legislation violations and cross-border crimes.

The HSI unit conducts comprehensive judicial and criminal investigations into international organized crime networks such as drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking, financial crimes, money laundering, commercial fraud and child pornography.

With this latest decision taken in Houston, the city's local security units have partially separated from the routine practices of the federal immigration mechanism.