Dozens of protesters gathered at Houston City Hall Tuesday, calling on the City Council to end all cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid nationwide outrage over recent federal agent shootings.
About 100 people filled the council chambers, shouting at council members and urging the city to cut ties with federal immigration enforcement.
The demonstrations in Houston come amid nationwide outrage after ICE agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis earlier this month. Activists say federal immigration operations have put communities at risk, prompting protests in multiple cities.
The protests also followed rumors about ICE activity at city warming centers, which the mayor denied earlier this week.
According to ICE Houston, the agency arrested more than 3,500 undocumented individuals during the federal government shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12 of last year. ICE says these arrests included people convicted of murder, child sexual abuse, and gang-related offenses. The City of Houston has historically cooperated with federal immigration enforcement in such cases.
Mayor John Whitmire and council members will reconvene this morning.
KPRC 2 News has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on last night’s protests.