Notes on the Houston City Council Meeting on November 12, 2025

Agenda

1. A Public Hearing*
2. Public Comment
3. Mayor’s Report
4. Consent Agenda (items that require a vote, like purchases, resolutions, ordinances, etc.)
5. Council Member Pop-Off*

*I will not cover the public hearing or pop-off today.

Public Comment

Normally, the public comment portion of city council takes place on Tuesdays. Because Tuesday was Veterans Day, the two meetings were combined. There were 13 public speakers. Here is a selection:

• One person advocated for safe streets, particulary for cyclists and pedestrians.
• Two speakers spoke with the aid of an American Sign Language interpreter. They are homeless and asked for help. Mayor Whitmire offered assistance and connected them with one of his staff.
• Three people advocated for safety improvements at the Ella and Grovewood crossing in Timbergrove. As Mayor Whitmire began to say this was the first time it’s been brought to his attention, CM Kamin interrupted to say that it is not. This community has been advocating for years. Kamin’s office has set aside funding for safety improvements but Houston Public Works has flip-flopped on approval. Mayor Whitmire said he’s sorry it has taken this long and pledged help.
• One person advocated for the immigrant community being targeted by ICE, contesting claims that ICE is only arresting people with criminal backgrounds. She said immigrants benefit the economy and asked the administration to “stop working with these people.”
  • CM Martinez thanked the speaker. “You showing up means a lot for folks that don’t have a voice.” He is fearful of a “heavier hand” from ICE in the future and cautioned people not to put immigrant communities in more danger.
  • CM Kamin thanked the speaker and advocated for fighting back on behalf of people being unjustly treated. “I recognize that there are very vulnerable individuals that we have to protect that do not have a voice, but that does not mean that we do not stand up. That does not mean that we don’t speak out. That does not mean that citizens do not speak out to protect others in our community.”
• One person complained about illegal dumping and asked for a plan beyond intermittent clean ups.

The Mayor’s Report

Mayor Whitmire responded to backlash after he was quoted over the weekend saying, “I’m not going to say that we’re not cooperating with ICE, because that’s frankly not true.” (see resources for link). Whitmire said Houston is a city of immigrants who contribute to the city’s strength. He complained about recent rhetoric that alarms people unnecessarily. He urged people to “get back to the facts” and to stop politicizing the issue by creating clickbait material to share on social media. Whitmire said the city’s policy is to follow state and city law. “When there’s a warrant for someone’s arrest, we have no choice but to submit them to the agency that has the warrant.”

Whitmire praised HPD and Chief Diaz. He said that it is not HPD policy to ask people their immigration status. He criticized badmouthing of himself and HPD and said, “You’re harming the community that we’re all committed to serve and comfort.” Whitmire called social media posts criticizing HPD’s involvement with ICE clickbait and said, “We know, factually, it’s wrong.” He questioned why critics are only complaining about HPD when the sheriffs and constables are following the same policy.

Several CMs made remarks:

CM Martinez criticized people calling for a “fight,” saying that could put immigrants in even more danger. He shared anecdotes of people he knows who have been deported and the stress their families are under. He said, “What ICE is doing is disgusting,” but it’s important for people in leadership positions to “provide some peace and calm in this chaos,” rather than “continue to inflame these conversations.” Martinez believes the mayor’s claim that HPD is following state and local laws, and said this should reassure immigrant communities. He asked for clear communication on HPD’s policy regarding ICE and for the return of a Spanish-language “outlet” within HPD.

Mayor Whitmire thanked Martinez for his “responsible leadership” and agreed that the call to fight can expose endangered people to more danger. He said, “We have to be smart and not let others use people.” Whitmire introduced Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officer’s Union, to explain HPD policies regarding ICE.

Griffith said, “When we engage someone … if we are going to arrest them or if they are complainants or something like that, by policy we have to check them on the computer.” If that person has a warrant for arrest from another agency, HPD must contact that agency. Griffith said they call ICE when required, but other than that, “We’re not working with ICE. We don’t care about ICE.” Griffith said HPD does not randomly check people’s status because they don’t have the time or the manpower to do so. “We’re not going to make it harder on ourselves by going out doing stupid things like trying to work with agencies we don’t need to.” He implored CMs to call him before going to social media.

• Whitmire complained about inflammatory rhetoric only calling out HPD.
• CM Kamin asked Griffith if the database includes administrative warrants, such as those for missing court dates. Griffith said he isn’t sure, but regardless of warrant type, HPD is required to report that person. Griffith implied that ICE will not come out for administrative warrants.
  • As Kamin asked further questions, Griffith interrupted her to proclaim that “ICE agents are federal agents … be very cautious in the rhetoric you put out there about fighting against a federal agent … I don’t want to see people interjecting themselves in something and getting arrested when they could just leave it alone. And everything will work itself out in the end.”
  • Kamin said “For many, it’s not working itself out.” She remarked on warrantless searches and racial profiling. Griffith cautioned people against assaulting federal agents. Kamin said, “I don’t think anyone is advocating for assaulting a federal agent,” and explained that calls to fight mean taking court action, advocating for underrepresented people, and funding legal aid.
• CM Alcorn asked what happens after HPD calls an agency because of a warrant. Griffith said they wait for “a certain amount of time … to see if they’re going to come and pick the individual up.” HPD can “take them to Harris County [Jail] and drop them off, or they can come pick them up in the field.” He said they don’t have the manpower to wait more than an hour, in which case they “cut them loose” and tell ICE they will have to pick them up later.
• CM Ramirez explained the state law, which has been upheld in federal court, that requires the city to comply with state immigration laws.
• CM Castillo defended his social media statement. He said that asking for more information is not politicizing, but rather it helps “to reassure folks that have very valid fears.” He said the mayor’s comments about working with ICE jeopardized trust between the community and law enforcement, but today’s discussion provided clarity. Responding to Whitmire’s complaints about why other law enforcement agencies weren’t called out, Castillo said, “We’re elected here at the city of Houston. And so that’s my focus here, HPD, the law enforcement that we work with day in and day out.”
• CM Flickinger criticized the Houston Chronicle for misleading headlines that manipulate data to make the situation sound worse.
• CM Kamin criticized the administration for “Chamberlain-style appeasement,” a peacekeeping strategy that makes concessions to aggressive powers to keep war at bay. “We must not choose appeasement … Those that are able to speak out, that do have the privilege of using a voice, should not be keeping their heads down. We should be calling on citizens to safely bear witness, to stand up, to protect our neighbors who may not be able to safely speak out for themselves.” She criticized ICE for stripping peoples’ rights with no due process and using inhumane practices. She encouraged the city to step up and support the county’s effort to financially support the legal defense of children, especially as they are now under lawsuit from the State of Texas. “We should not be following any policy of appeasement. We should be standing with our community and protecting those that right now cannot protect themselves.”
• CM Martinez said, “No one is saying to not use your voice. What I’m asking folks is to use it responsibly.” He approves of donations to legal aid, looking out for our neighbors (such as offering to run errands for them), and recording and documenting interactions with law and immigration enforcement, and creating a sense of trust with local law enforcement.
• Mayor Whitmire closed by recognizing CM Martinez’s “passionate leadership and judgment on how to marshal the community and its supporters.” He cautioned calling people to “fight” because some people take it literally. “HPD is following the law and their training, and the current state and city laws. We do not have any control over ICE.”

Agenda Items, Selected Works

• Item 3 approved a $1.8M annual fee to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). TCEQ uses this revenue “to inspect wastewater treatment facilities and to enforce the provisions of the Texas Water Code. It also funds comprehensive monitoring of water quality for each river basin, conducted under the Texas Clean Rivers Program.”
• Item 6 approved $600K through September 2027 for mass notification system services. CM Kamin supported this item but advocated for communication strategies for when cell phone towers go down. She is funding a pilot program with the fire department for drones with speakers to be deployed that can play messages, such as where to find shelters.
• Item 7 approved $646K for wildland firefighter gear.
• Item 8 approved $19M over three years for ammunition for the police department.
• Item 14 approved a $4M loan to partially finance a new affordable apartment complex for seniors in Acres Homes.
• Item 23 extended the contract with the law firm that manages collections for the municipal courts. There is no funding source noted so I assume the firm receives a portion of payment collected.

Item 31: Extending the East End Civility Ordinance to 24/7 

Under the standard civility ordinance, it is illegal to sit, lie down, or store belongings in public spaces, like parks and sidewalks, between the hours of 11pm and 7am. The standard civility ordinance is only enforceable in 12 zones and must be instigated by residents and approved by council. The city has begun extending the civility ordinance to 24/7 in certain areas, starting with downtown and east downtown. After three weeks of delay, today’s Item 31 extended the boundary of the East End’s civility ordinance to include the new homeless resource center at 419 Emancipation and increased the hours to 24/7. The support document described this as “part of a holistic approach towards addressing street homelessness.”

• CM Castillo said extending the civility ordinance is the most requested action from some of the neighborhood people engaging because of 419 Emancipation. He appreciates the speed of this ordinance change and said it will help the community trust the administration. He advocated for other community requests, such as a phased-in occupancy and a community task force.
• CM Martinez supports expanding the civility ordinance and encouraged his colleagues to “lean into colleagues that are on the ground having these public facing meetings.”
• CM Kamin said she supports the work of her colleagues but would not support this ordinance change due to unanswered questions about citations and warrants of unhoused people.
• CM Carter supported this ordinance and shared an anecdote about reporting a large encampment near the airport and Chief Satterwhite telling her they don’t have enough beds to allocate and thus relocate this group.
• Item 31 passed, extending part of the East End civility ordinance to 24/7. CMs Kamin and Jackson voted no.

Who took these notes? And what resources did they use?

My name is Emily Hynds. I am a writer, small business owner, producer of the monthly storytelling series Grown-up Storytime, and lifelong Houstonian. I am not a journalist or government official. I am a local government enthusiast who believes meaningful change starts at home. These notes are presented from my point of view and with my framing and are not comprehensive. Your notes will certainly be different and I would love to read them if you attend.

I watched this City Council meeting via HTV: https://www.houstontx.gov/htv/

While compiling these notes I used the following sources:
https://houston.novusagenda.com/agendapublic
https://houwatch.com
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/immigration/article/whitmire-houston-ice-21149859.php
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/police/2025/11/12/535874/ice-police-houston-mayor-city-council-immigration/

You can find your City Council Member and their contact info at: https://www.houstontx.gov/council/whoismycm.html

Thank you to the volunteers who proofread these notes.
My Patreon is patreon.com/emilytakesnotes.