Houston mayor says HPD ICE arrests violate department policies in TV statement: 'I'm disappointed'Matt deGrood, Staff Writer, Staff WriterMarch 6, 2026 File: Houston Mayor John Whitmire speaks during the State of the City address in Houston, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle A day after a Chronicle report found Houston police officers in at least two instances arrested drivers and personally transported them to immigration agents, Mayor John Whitmire told Univision Houston the arrests violated department policies. Whitmire, who hasn’t responded to requests from the Chronicle since Aug. 17, told Univision: “I’m disappointed. It was a violation of Houston Police Department policy, and it will be corrected.” EXCLUSIVE REPORTING: Houston Police and ICE are working closer than ever. Experts now say it may be unlawful. Representatives for the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Chronicle as of Friday afternoon. Officials with the Houston Police Department referred questions to the mayor’s office. The mayor’s statement comes after legal experts said the two arrests, in July and August of last year, could risk violating the U.S. Constitution and internal department policies. MORE FROM HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Houston community leaders say they've lost a vital relationship with police Details from police reports obtained by the Chronicle show a new level of cooperation with federal officials. Houston officers called federal authorities in more than 154 cases in 2025, an increase of more than 1,000% from prior years. Elected leaders in Houston have long debated what the law requires of officers after President Donald Trump’s administration added more than 700,000 noncriminal warrants to a federal database available to law enforcement agencies nationwide. But the revelation that officers have directly arrested people on immigration inquiries could violate the Fourth Amendment, some legal experts said. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility under the U.S. Constitution, meaning local agencies cannot enforce immigration laws unless they’ve been deputized under what are known as 287(g) agreements, said Seth Stoughton, a professor of law and an associate professor of criminology at the University of South Carolina. Houston participates in no such agreement.