HOUSTON — Houston City Council removed an application for a U.S. Department of Justice Model Cities Initiative grant from its Wednesday agenda as city officials seek clarification about requirements that include immigration law enforcement operations.
Mayor John Whitmire’s office said Tuesday that the city was reviewing whether to apply for the grant and was requesting more information about its conditions and guidelines.
“At this time, we are in the process of requesting clarification about the conditions and guidelines attached to these grants,” a spokesperson for Whitmire said in a written statement.
The mayor’s office did not say how much funding Houston could seek or how the city would use the money.
Grant guidelines raise immigration questions
The DOJ grant guidelines require participating cities to align their initiatives with several federal priorities, including immigration law enforcement operations.
Council member Alejandra Salinas’ office raised questions about whether the grant would require Houston to support immigration enforcement.
“We have several outstanding questions … regarding what this grant may require related to supporting immigration enforcement operations,” Salinas’ chief of staff, Chris Chu de León, said in an email.
Houston’s policies involving federal immigration enforcement have drawn debate under Whitmire.
Houston Police Department officers must contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they encounter people with civil immigration warrants. Some council members have sought changes to that policy, while a man who was deported after an HPD traffic stop has filed a lawsuit.
Salinas previously led an effort to prohibit HPD officers from waiting for ICE. The City Council later reversed that measure after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to revoke more than $110 million in public safety funding, citing state grant requirements for cooperation with ICE.
DOJ launched $300 million program
Trump administration officials announced the $300 million Model Cities Initiative in June under the DOJ’s “Make America Safe Again” campaign.
Then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the program would support law enforcement partners and efforts to improve public safety.
The grant program can fund police hiring and retention, law enforcement equipment and technology, victim services and youth crime prevention, among other activities.
DOJ representatives did not respond to questions about the grant or Houston’s potential application.