AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL • IRIS
Austin, TX Police Policy Limiting Arrests on ICE Administrative Warrants

Policy ID

AUS-ADM-2026-4-23
Local Response
Austin
Administrative

Short Description

Following a February 2026 town hall held by three council members after officers responding to a domestic disturbance called ICE on a woman and her daughter (who were deported), the Austin Police Department revised its general orders so that officers are not authorized to arrest or detain based solely on an ICE administrative warrant, and will not stop or contact people solely to determine immigration status.

Date Adopted

04/23/2026

Updates

Under pressure from Governor Abbott, including a threat to pull roughly $2.5 million in grants from the locality, the Austin Police Department revised orders again in April 2026 to clarify handling of administrative warrants while keeping the core limits.

References

See Also

Houston, TX Ordinance Minimizing Police Cooperation with ICE

04/08/2026
Houston
Legislative Action
TX