Mayor Whitmire's Statement on ICE Shooting

HOUSTON - This morning, Mayor John Whitmire called for a transparent, independent investigation following Tuesday's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting. Some local media outlets have wrongly reported that the mayor has declined to investigate. That is a misleading and inaccurate depiction of his remarks. Below is the mayor's statement from Wednesday's Houston City Council meeting. The audio recording is attached above.

It is important to note that the Houston Police Department was not involved in Tuesday's incident, and the City of Houston does not control federal immigration policy, nor does it have jurisdiction over federal law enforcement officers. A local inquiry cannot supersede a federal investigation, and the City lacks access to the evidence, witnesses, or investigative authorities necessary to conduct a complete review of federal actions. That is why Mayor Whitmire believes the appropriate federal authorities must conduct a full, independent, and transparent investigation, with continued engagement from our congressional delegation and the public throughout the process.

"We are monitoring it very carefully. We're in constant touch with our federal elected officials, insisting that there's a transparent, independent investigation. And if I learn of any new information, I'll certainly share it with council. We're in touch with LULAC and community leaders. was truly a tragedy, as I've said two years ago. I wish it were something that we just didn't have to deal with, but I do recognize the good training of H.P.D. and the policies of Chief Diaz that there was no involvement of H.P.D. and, in fact, two days before there was a chase that ICE was involved in, and H.P.D. was not involved.

"So it's a very tragic, complex issue that is brought to us by our federal officials. So we need to continue to have contact with our elected congressional people that represent us here, and obviously we have 2u.S senators. But our prayers go out to the family and the community that feels the pain and anxiety. Certainly, our young people and students just do not understand. Except I know for a fact they're afraid. So thank you for your remarks. I think Councilman Ramirez, with his district attorney experience, described the process that there cannot be two ongoing investigations. Certainly, when there's no jurisdiction over one of them, let's continue to monitor it very carefully. And thank you for your leadership, Councilman Castillo.

"Really, many council members are taking calls. We're monitoring it very carefully from my office. I think it's unfortunate that some would politicize it. I think the media needs to be as accurate as possible and not inflame things as some would attempt to do. So, our prayers are with the family, the community, and quite frankly, all Houstonians."