AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The Texas Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into the City of Austin, over the city's police department policies regarding cooperation with federal immigration officials.
City officials were notified of the probe on Friday.
In March, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis updated the department's general orders, which restricts officers from detaining or arresting individuals based solely on administrative warrants from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The AG's investigation is looking into whether the changes are compliant with Senate Bill 4, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017 - a Texas law that prohibits local jurisdictions from limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement officers.
Under the modified policy, if an officer discovers an ICE administrative warrant, they can contact ICE agents but can only wait for them to arrive with permission from a supervisor.
The investigation comes as the state is similarly looking into ICE cooperation in Houston. Tuesday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the city will likely repeal an ordinance passed earlier this month that similarly limits Houston Police from cooperating with federal immigration officials.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened Houston with the loss of $110 million in public safety grants if the ordinance stays in effect; the city is also facing a similar investigation from Paxton's office.
Austin officials, on the other hand, contend that the revisions to the APD general orders are compliant with SB 4.
“These attacks by the disgraced Texas Attorney General only strengthen our resolve to protect and build trust with our community, with every means at our disposal,” District 7 council member Mike Siegel wrote in a social media post. “The City is in full compliance with the law, and Paxton’s grandstanding does nothing to change that.”
