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New rules will dictate how Houston Police Department officers can interact with ICE agents after City Council passed a measure Wednesday that curbs cooperation with the federal agency. 

Why it matters: The change limits how long Houston police officers can hold people for immigration reasons, but council members who proposed the new rules say the fight is far from over. 

Catch up quick: An HPD policy enacted in February 2020 mandated police officers to contact ICE agents when they encounter someone with an administrative warrant for removal from the U.S. 

Initially, there was no limit to how long they could wait for agents to show up. Last month, HPD shifted its policy to limit the time officers wait for ICE to 30 minutes. 

Driving the news: Under the rules approved Wednesday, HPD officers can detain someone only as long as necessary for the initial reason for the encounter, like a traffic stop.

That means that while officers must still call ICE if the suspect has an administrative immigration warrant, they no longer have to wait for ICE agents if there's no other reason to further detain the person. 

The new ordinance also requires additional transparency from HPD on how often it contacts ICE. 

The ordinance passed 12-5, including support from Mayor John Whitmire. 

Flashback: The initial proposal included a provision that gave HPD officers discretion on whether to contact ICE about administrative warrants, but it was removed from the proposal by the city attorney's office over concerns it could violate state law.

Friction point: Council Members Alejandra Salinas, Abbie Kamin and Edward Pollard — who are attorneys and worked together on the proposal — disagreed with those concerns.

During Wednesday's meeting, Salinas asked Whitmire to call a public hearing where council members could discuss the merits of the assessment and vote on considering the provision. 

Whitmire said he'd "take it under advisement." 

What they're saying: "This ordinance keeps officers focused on solving crime, not waiting on ICE to detain families," Salinas said in a statement after the vote. "It is not everything we fought for, but it is meaningful progress."

The other side: Council Members Twila Carter, Amy Peck, Willie Davis, Fred Flickinger and Mary Nan Huffman — who voted against the ordinance Wednesday — said in a joint statement the changes that were approved will "likely have unintended and harmful consequences."

"We are particularly concerned that placing a national spotlight on our city will create unsafe situations for our community and exacerbate the pressure placed on law enforcement," they wrote. 

They also said the ordinance places "onerous" reporting burdens on police officers and that it will "make officers afraid to do their jobs."

By the numbers: Officers referred people to ICE agents 186 times from 2020 through December 2025, per HPD data obtained by Axios.

Nearly 150 of those referrals happened last year after the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement.

Houston limits police interactions with ICE

The change limits how long police officers can hold people for immigration reasons.

Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas speaks at a press conference outside City Hall

Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas, right, with Council Member Abbie Kamin, speaks in support of the changes last month outside City Hall. Photo: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

New rules will dictate how <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Houston Police Department officers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2026/03/20/houston-police-ice-immigration-warrants-city-council" data-vars-content-id="5ea916a1-9fdd-453b-9e77-66dbc61a9865" data-vars-headline="Houston limits police interactions with ICE" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2026/03/20/houston-police-ice-immigration-warrants-city-council" target="_self">Houston Police Department officers</a> can interact with ICE agents after City Council passed a measure Wednesday that curbs cooperation with the federal agency. Why it matters: The change limits how long <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Houston" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" data-vars-content-id="5ea916a1-9fdd-453b-9e77-66dbc61a9865" data-vars-headline="Houston limits police interactions with ICE" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" target="_self">Houston</a> police officers can hold people for immigration reasons, but council members who proposed the new rules say the fight is far from over.

News

Houston saw fewer traffic deaths in 2025 than in 2024, preliminary data shows.

Why it matters: While lower, the 2025 death toll was still higher than yearly counts before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The big picture: Traffic deaths fell nationwide in 2025 to their lowest since 2019, before they spiked during the pandemic. But in Houston, the decline hasn't kept pace.

Driving the news: Last year, 300 people died and 1,516 people were seriously injured in traffic crashes on roadways in Houston, according to crash report data from the Texas Department of Transportation compiled by Axios. 

By the numbers: Of 2025's traffic deaths, 99 were pedestrians and 10 were cyclists. There were 280 fatal crashes total, with some crashes claiming multiple lives. 

The majority (154) of the 280 crashes happened on city-operated streets. Ninety crashes occurred on an interstate, and 36 happened on a state highway, tollway, farm-to-market road or a "non trafficway."

Flashback: Houston saw 209 traffic deaths in 2018, 263 in 2019, and 269 in 2020.

The annual death count jumped to 325 in 2021 and 324 in 2022, before falling to 300 in 2023. 

Data: TxDOT CRIS; Table: Jay Jordan/Axios

Zoom in: Data shows that police cited a driver's failure to drive in a single lane as the top contributing factor in Houston's fatal crashes in 2025.

More than 70% of the city's pedestrian deaths were believed to be due to the pedestrian's failure to yield the right of way to the driver, per the data.

There were five pedestrian deaths in which the driver was believed to have failed to yield the right of way.

Zoom out: Across all of Harris County, which includes Houston, suburban cities and unincorporated areas, 517 people died in traffic crashes and 2,758 were seriously injured in 2025. 

Data: TxDOT CRIS, Houston Police Department; Note: Homicides include murder, non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter and justifiable homicide; Chart: Jay Jordan/Axios

The intrigue: In 2024, traffic deaths (341) outpaced homicides (330) in the Bayou City, per state data and Houston Police Department records.

Homicides once again outpaced traffic deaths in 2025. Both homicides and traffic deaths decreased from 2024 to 2025.

Houston traffic deaths dropped last year

Last year, 300 people died in traffic crashes on roadways in the city.

Cars drive along Interstate 69 in Houston

Traffic flows along Interstate 69 in southwest Houston. Photo: Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Houston" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" data-vars-content-id="ae22d7dc-28fb-473a-968a-a4873a83836d" data-vars-headline="Houston traffic deaths dropped last year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" target="_self">Houston</a> saw fewer traffic deaths in 2025 than in 2024, preliminary data shows.Why it matters: While lower, the 2025 death toll was still higher than yearly counts before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interstate 10 commuters in and out of downtown Houston should prepare for closures and delays starting Tuesday. 

Why it matters: The I-10 White Oak Bayou elevation project is designed to alleviate flooding, but the construction is causing headaches.

Catch up quick: The $407 million undertaking will elevate about 1.8 miles of I-10 between Heights Boulevard and Interstate 45. 

The stretch of freeway has flooded 10 times since 1992, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, including during Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019. The project will elevate the main lanes out of the 100-year floodplain where they currently sit. 

The agency broke ground in January 2025. Since then, the highway has been reduced to two lanes for westbound drivers. The resulting heavier traffic has reverberated through downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. 

Threat level: A series of upcoming closures could make conditions worse next week. 

an aerial look at the progress of TxDOT's I-10 White Oak Bayou elevation project

Aerial views from September 2023 and November 2025 showing I-10 between Heights Boulevard and I-45. Photos: Google Earth

Driving the news: Starting Tuesday evening, crews will begin the process of shifting I-10 traffic between Studemont Street and I-45 onto a newly constructed elevated portion of the freeway.

That will allow workers to start rebuilding and elevating the original portion of the freeway that drivers are currently using.

What's happening: The westbound exit ramp to Taylor Street will close at 9pm Tuesday. 

I-10 westbound will be reduced by one lane starting 9pm Wednesday. The entrance ramp to I-10 westbound from Louisiana Street in downtown will also close then.

The closures are expected to be over by 5am Thursday, per TxDOT.

The intrigue: The traffic pattern shift also coincides with the reopening of the westbound I-10 entrance ramp from Taylor Street.

Zoom out: Workers will also rebuild the Houston Avenue bridge, which currently travels over the I-10 main lanes. The new bridge will take Houston Avenue traffic over White Oak Bayou but underneath the I-10 main lanes.

The project also includes a shared-use path for bikers and walkers along White Oak Bayou.

What's next: TxDOT says the project should be complete by 2028.

Watch out for I-10 closures near downtown

A $407 million project will elevate about 1.8 miles of I-10 between Heights Boulevard and I-45.

Illustrated of road infrastructure around an orange safety cone.

Interstate 10 commuters in and out of downtown Houston should prepare for closures and delays starting Tuesday. Why it matters: The I-10 White Oak Bayou elevation project is designed to alleviate flooding, but the construction is causing headaches.

A year after the city of Houston began ripping up and reshaping Midtown's Austin Street for a drainage project, workers have not yet finished the job. 

Why it matters: The undertaking is already $1.6 million over its initial estimate, according to the city.

The project is a key point of contention between Mayor John Whitmire's administration and street safety advocates. Whitmire's administration prioritizes relieving inner-city traffic congestion he says plagues drivers, while advocates say that jeopardizes the safety of pedestrians and bike riders. 

Catch up quick: The work includes waterline and drainage improvements, along with a rehabilitation of the roadway, according to Houston Public Works. 

Driving the news: While the project was scheduled to be completed in summer 2025, surprises during construction and below-standard work prolonged the work well into 2026. 

The project faced initial delays after crews discovered "waterline conflicts" at the onset that stopped work for several months, Houston Public Works director Randy Macchi says in a statement to Axios. 

Then, after crews finished the drainage work, paved the roadway and painted lane markings, officials decided pavement and striping didn't meet the city's standards, Macchi adds.

The latest: Workers tore up the new pavement and are overlaying a fresh bed of asphalt before painting stripes on again. 

By the numbers: The project was initially estimated to cost $4 million, which included $2 million for new waterlines, $1 million for drainage and sidewalk improvements and $1 million for the road surface rehabilitation. 

The waterline work wound up costing $3.2 million, Macchi tells Axios. The drainage and sidewalk portion totaled $1.4 million after the city added more sidewalk and driveway improvements. 

The final cost for road surface rehabilitation has yet to be realized as that work continues. 

Between the lines: Once complete, Austin Street will no longer have a protected bike lane but will instead have a paint-only bike lane for northbound cyclists, along with additional parking in place of the former bike lane. 

In April 2025, Macchi said the project was not centered on removing the bike lane. "That is the result of what we're doing, but this is a drainage project," he told reporters at the time. 

Yes, but: Whitmire had his sights on removing the two-way bike lane as early as 2024, per text messages released in August through open record laws. 

What's next: The work is now slated to be complete by the end of April, Macchi says.

Austin Street project cost more than expected — and it's behind schedule

The undertaking is $1.6 million over its initial estimate.

City street under construction with orange cones and distant yellow machinery. A blue hydrant sits on a grassy median; pale blue sidewalk runs beside a black fence near a tree. A sign reading "Paint is not a bike lane" sits on a utility pole

Austin Street in Midtown in late March. Photo: Jay R. Jordan/Axios

A year after the city of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Houston" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" data-vars-content-id="e1d39c11-3dc5-4222-b1c5-77b57885e79e" data-vars-headline="Austin Street project cost more than expected — and it&#x27;s behind schedule" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston" target="_self">Houston</a> began ripping up and reshaping Midtown&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Austin Street" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2025/08/12/houston-bike-lane-closure-update-austin-street" data-vars-content-id="e1d39c11-3dc5-4222-b1c5-77b57885e79e" data-vars-headline="Austin Street project cost more than expected — and it&#x27;s behind schedule" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2025/08/12/houston-bike-lane-closure-update-austin-street" target="_self">Austin Street</a> for a drainage project, workers have not yet finished the job. Why it matters: The undertaking is already $1.6 million over its initial estimate, according to the city.

Texas hemp businesses on Tuesday sued the state, aiming to reverse new rules that ban pre-rolled joints and other smokeable THC products made legal under a 2019 state law. 

Why it matters: The lawsuit is the latest battle over hemp-derived THC in Texas' multibillion-dollar industry.

Catch up quick: Federal and Texas law states consumable hemp products must contain less than 0.3% of delta-9 THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. 

The law does not include limits on THCA, a compound in hemp that turns into delta-9 THC when burned.

That allowed the sale of smokable products containing THCA in Texas because they did not contain more than 0.3% delta-9 THC at the point of sale.

Flashback: The Texas Department of State Health Services and the Health and Human Services Commission implemented rules March 31 that dictate limits on the "total THC" in a product, including THCA. 

The move effectively banned all smokable hemp products, like flower buds or pre-rolls. Other consumable products, including THC-infused edibles and drinks, remain available. 

Driving the news: The Texas Hemp Business Council, manufacturers and retailers assert in their lawsuit that the departments exceeded their legal authority by counting a product's "total THC" toward the delta-9 THC limit imposed by Congress in 2019 and the Texas Legislature in 2018. 

They are asking a judge to immediately block the rules as the lawsuit plays out. They also want to end an increase in regulatory fees that went into effect March 31.  

What they're saying: "Lawmakers carefully debated hemp policy and chose not to change the statutory THC standard (last year)," Texas Hemp Business Council president Cynthia Cabrera said in a statement. 

"State agencies cannot override the decision by regulation," Cabrera wrote. "Our members support reasonable, lawful regulation, but regulation must follow the Constitution and the statutes the Legislature enacted."

The big picture: Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last year led a failed fight in the Legislature to ban all forms of THC, saying the products are dangerous and marketed to children.

After Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed Patrick's ban last year, he ordered the state departments to add regulations. 

The other side: The state has yet to formally respond to the lawsuit, court records show.

Patrick's office and the Texas Attorney General's Office, which will defend the state departments, did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. 

Zoom out: A federal ban of hemp-derived THC products goes into effect in November, although hemp industry leaders are hopeful the Trump administration will reverse course before then.

Texas hemp companies sue state over new rules on smokeable THC

The groups say the state exceeded its legal authority in how it regulates THC.

Illustration of a gavel, but the handle is a marijuana joint. 

Texas hemp businesses on Tuesday sued the state, aiming to reverse <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new rules that ban pre-rolled joints" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2026/03/30/texas-hemp-ban-thc" data-vars-content-id="e966f141-1348-42b5-814f-08f0c0227b9b" data-vars-headline="Texas hemp companies sue state over new rules on smokeable THC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2026/03/30/texas-hemp-ban-thc" target="_self">new rules that ban pre-rolled joints</a> and other smokeable THC products made legal under a 2019 state law. Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lawsuit" data-vars-click-url="https://texashempbusinesscouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.07-THBC-Original-Petition-and-Application-for-TRO-Injunction-FILED.pdf" data-vars-content-id="e966f141-1348-42b5-814f-08f0c0227b9b" data-vars-headline="Texas hemp companies sue state over new rules on smokeable THC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://texashempbusinesscouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.07-THBC-Original-Petition-and-Application-for-TRO-Injunction-FILED.pdf" target="_blank">lawsuit</a> is the latest battle over hemp-derived THC in Texas&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="multibillion-dollar" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/04/10/thc-hemp-ban-texas-legislature" data-vars-content-id="e966f141-1348-42b5-814f-08f0c0227b9b" data-vars-headline="Texas hemp companies sue state over new rules on smokeable THC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/04/10/thc-hemp-ban-texas-legislature" target="_self">multibillion-dollar</a> industry.

Jay R. Jordan

Featured stories

Texas hemp companies sue state over new rules on smokeable THC

Houston limits police interactions with ICE

Houston traffic deaths dropped last year

Austin Street project cost more than expected — and it's behind schedule

Watch out for I-10 closures near downtown