Austin city leaders have affirmed their support for immigrant communities in response to a series of executive actions on immigration issued during President Donald Trump’s first weeks in office.
Texas Senate Bill 4, passed in 2017, significantly limits how the city of Austin and local governments in Texas can respond to federal immigration law. Under the bill, local law enforcement must cooperate with federal immigration operations, which Trump emphasized in a Jan. 20 executive order. The Travis County Sheriff’s Office must comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests to transfer immigrants in custody for possible deportation.
“Nothing has changed for the Travis County Sheriff’s Office,” Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez said in an email. “We are dedicated to public safety and law enforcement. As always, we will follow and enforce the laws of the State of Texas.”
Gov. Greg Abbott announced the creation of regional “tactical strike teams” on Jan. 28. The following day, he directed all Texas state agencies to assist in federal immigration operations.
“DPS’ tactical strike teams will help the department continue its focus on preventing, detecting and interdicting criminal activity — including the arrest of criminal illegal immigrants in Texas,” a DPS spokesperson said in an email.
In response to ICE operations in Austin on Jan. 26, Austin City Council member José “Chito” Vela, a former immigration lawyer, said building trust between law enforcement and local communities will be a challenge. He said serving immigrant communities is “a long-term project” that goes beyond providing “know your rights” sessions, and requires training and hands-on application.
“There are four years left of this,” Vela said. “This is not about what we do next week. This is not about what we do in March. This is about come 2028, how does our community look? Where is our immigrant community? Were we able to support and protect our immigrant community?”
Vela pointed to strong city leadership through Trump’s first administration, supported by council actions to protect the immigrant community. Notably, the City Council approved “Freedom City” resolutions in 2018, which called for the elimination of racial profiling in police conduct and required city police to inform people of their right to not answer questions about immigration status.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Austin police will not take part in immigration enforcement activities in an interview with KUT on Jan. 31. Vela also said the only time APD would look into immigration status would be for U-Visa holders, applying to victims of certain crimes such as family violence.
“APD’s focus has been and will continue to be on fostering community trust, preventing victimization and addressing quality of life issues,” Austin Police Department said in an email. “Our mission is to ensure the safety and well-being of all Austinites regardless of their background or immigration status.”
Ultimately, Vela stressed communities should not panic and must learn to “live through the fear.” He said past federal immigration policy can inform future city response moving forward.
“We’ve always been a pro-immigrant city,” Vela said. “We’re going to continue to do what we can at the local level to make sure that we are a welcoming and inviting community and that our immigrant friends and family are supported regardless of what’s going on around us.”
