So now a petition drive has begun in an attempt to force a city-wide vote on how HPD should handle illegal immigrants:
Deriding what they call the city’s “sanctuary policy,” about a dozen members of a group called “Protect Our Citizens” conducted a news conference at City Hall to announce the petition drive for a city charter referendum.
“It is time to send a message to the world that Houston is no longer a safe haven for illegal, criminal aliens,” said spokesman Paul O’Finan, a lawyer.
The group also includes Mary Williams, founder of Taxpayers for Accountability, who has been involved in successful citizen-led initiatives including term limits for city politicians and a 2004 measure capping city revenue.
Officers ask people their immigration status only after they have been arrested for some other reason. Police say the understaffed department doesn’t have the resources or training to do more.
Except that the understaffed department DOES have the resources to answer repeated dog-barking complaints in Slampo’s neighborhood. But I digress.
Officials also say changing the policy could erode the trust officers need to solve crimes in immigrant communities.
Police Chief Harold Hurtt and Mayor Bill White support the current policy.
[snip]
After Tuesday’s event, Councilwoman Carol Alvarado dismissed the petition as “pre-election politics,” saying the city doesn’t offer “sanctuary” to illegal immigrants.
Nice try, Councilwoman. It’s General Order 500-5, issued in 1992 by former Police Chief Sam Nuchia. It’s a “hands off illegals” policy. Then you add city-funded day labor centers and voil
