In order to make transparent the role that Harris County plays in the criminalization of people of color and the deportation pipeline, the coalition recommends that County Commissioners direct all relevant agencies in Harris County to:
Develop clear protocols to respond to requests from federal agencies, including immigration enforcement agencies. This protocol should include a clear procedure for vetting such requests at high levels within the department or agency and informing local leaders of such requests.
Produce a quarterly audit that details the use of city and county resources for immigration enforcement. The reports should be publicly available and reviewed by the County Commission at public meetings. The report should include:
- How much public money the County spends on aiding federal immigration enforcement activities or operations from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs Border Patrol (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI). Examples may include: How much public money the County spends on aiding federal immigration enforcement activities or operations from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs Border Patrol (CBP) and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI). Examples may include:
- Public land leased to ICE, CBP, or ORR detention facilities
- Intergovernmental government service agreements – or equivalent agreements – with ICE, CPB, or HSI, joint operations with DHS components
- Staff time and resources responding to or assisting ICE, CBP or HSI
- Racial and ethnic disparities in arrests and jail population, which clearly delineated Hispanic, Asian American, and indigenous populations. This data should not include immigration status as asking for that information could create a perverse incentive for officers to ask for immigration status.
- Information regarding interactions between HCSO, Police Districts, and Constables or other arresting agencies (there are 60 agencies in Harris County), and non-citizen residents of Harris County:
- Total number of foreign-born or non-citizen individuals brought into custody in Harris County jail during 2017-2018
- Number of foreign-born or non-citizen individuals brought into custody in Harris County jail during 2017-2018 who were then held on a detainer
- Number of ICE detainer requests received by HCSO in 2017-2018
- Number of days any foreign-born or noncitizens were detained in Harris County jail were held for ICE, and any country expenditures as result of such detentions.
- Any instances of Harris County’s cooperation with federal immigration officials (ICE, CBP, HSI, or DHS) during disaster or other emergency response (e.g. utilizing CBP boats for flood rescues, using DHS agents for security in emergency shelters, etc).
- Any instances of County law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials during routine criminal investigations (e.g. referring individuals to ICE after they have cooperated with federal law enforcement in federal criminal cases).