Comparing ICE interactions with Houston Police, Harris County Sheriff's Office

All right. Welcome back here. So there's been a new report. It's got some new numbers that basically shows the interactions that the Houston police have with the people in the community that basically involves ICE as well. So but local LULAC leaders say the impact goes way beyond just the numbers that we see there in that report. Karis Belger is joining us now live to give us some details on that. Karis, what's going on? Yeah, so Anthony, most of the encounters, according to this information from the Houston Police Department, state that these encounters mostly ended with people being released. But I also spoke with Sergio Lira. He's the president of the Greater Houston Chapter of LULAC. He says that those numbers don't tell the full story, particularly about how these encounters have far-reaching consequences with how people in the community go about their daily lives. So I'm going to break down some of the numbers that we were able to get Yet between July and September of 2026, So this year, 88 immigration-related incidents happened, according to HPD. 58 were released at the scene, 17 people were transferred into ICE custody, 13 were jailed on separate charges that had nothing to do with immigration enforcement. This report lists an average detention time of 46 minutes, that's actually slightly up from the last quarterly report we received from Houston police. Mayor John Whitmire has emphasized the direct transfers to ICE represent only a small fraction of the department's nearly 293,000 calls and national law enforcement database checks that quarter. But Lira says the numbers don't capture the fear he hears from the community and he wants more input from people in the community about how HPD begins to build trust, but he also says residents need to understand that there is a difference between how HPD interacts and how other law enforcement agencies like say the Harris County Sheriff's Office will conduct themselves. These are two different entities and agencies that have different protocols they have to follow. And the volume of those that are detained and turn over to ICE at the Sheriff's Department is much different. You're comparing apples to oranges. You know, Karis, tell me more about those county jail transfers. What is the sheriff saying about that? Well, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez responded to a tweet from our colleague Greg Rugen earlier, and he said that the Sheriff's Office oversees a jail that is getting transfers from multiple law enforcement agencies. So it's not just his agency, there are multiple involved here, right? So he said that there were roughly 4,024 releases to ICE so far this year, and this actually covers a longer period than the quarterly reports we've been getting from HPD. It also qualifies as He qualifies the processes separately because again, these are different agencies that we're talking about. So Gonzalez says that Texas law requires his department to engage with immigration enforcement agencies by law. So that's something that differentiates the way his department will operate versus how HPD operates. But he also wanted to emphasize that just because there's some sort of interaction with immigration enforcement does not automatically mean someone is being deported. I can speak to this from my own experience covering immigration. And enforcement incidents here in the city of Houston, because often there is a detention period that can last for some time. And unless other arrangements can be made through the legal processes, then a deportation order may be put in place. But again, different agencies, different processes, but we are looking overall at how different law enforcement agencies interact with ICE. And this is something that has become a community concern, particularly over the last few months. Anthony, and you know, Karis, I do find a little bit interesting. Right behind you there, people are putting their I voted stickers, correct? Can you just touch on that too? Because that's also immigration now at the forefront of this conversation, even with the election going on. Absolutely, so you know behind me is the memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. He is the man who was killed by an ICE agent on July 7th. This started when his son, Ronaldo, put his I Voted sticker on the memorial. I remember when this memorial first started, Anthony, it started with a few wreaths, right? Members from the community built this large wood plaque that you see behind me. And then more and more people from the community added to it, including their stickers. So it started with a couple dozen, then about 100. We've got 2,000 stickers on here at the last count, and people have been coming throughout the afternoon to continue to leave their I voted stickers. People who I've spoken with have said they're voting not just for Lorenzo's family, but for their own. Some coming from immigrant communities who have been impacted by the recent ICE activity in the city of Houston. Yeah, immigration on the ballot for some folks here in the city as well. Karis, good job. Thank you so much for following that story for us. Much appreciated.