AUSTIN, Texas — With authorities conducting immigration operations in the Austin area recently, concerns among migrant communities have been heightened.
ICE officials recently said in San Antonio they “target only individuals with criminal records, convictions, gang members” and threats to national security. They also added there are no raids or checkpoints.
In Austin, Assistant City Manager Eddie Garcia echoed those comments, saying ICE’s priorities haven’t changed since Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump took office.
“Having those open lines of communication is incredibly important to figure out what’s going on in our cities,” Garcia said. “Their priorities have not changed … they were talking about individuals that had final deportation orders as well, but for the most part, it was going to be targeted enforcement.”
‘Open dialogue’
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said talks with the federal government are ongoing at all times and that the police’s federal partners have echoed everything recently discussed in San Antonio.
“I think it’s important to understand when you’re dealing with violent felons, these are people that we want off of our streets,” Davis said. “These are people we’re looking for as well.”
Garcia added that authorities don’t want to act tone deaf surrounding enforcement efforts in the immigrant community and that they understand the fear that comes with ICE’s operations.
What role would Austin police play in enforcement?
So far, more than 30 arrests have been made in the first couple of days as city leaders confirm ICE remains active in the area. However, Davis clarified what role the police department would have in immigration enforcement operations.
According to Davis, there are situations where the law will dictate that Austin police must assist. However, the chief said so far they haven’t been asked to do anything.
“We’ve been asked to do nothing. I think that’s important to talk about,” Davis said. “I guess in my thinking, traffic … blocking off an intersection, something that like, would be where we come in to play, but again, nothing has been asked of us.”
Davis added that immigration status is not their role, but that if there were criminal outstanding warrants, police could be involved.
“We were probably looking for that person as well,” Davis said.
The landscape of Austin regarding immigration
Mayor Kirk Watson discussed how the city is navigating the current immigration landscape. Watson, who is now serving his fourth term as Austin’s mayor, listed pillars he’s established since the city has no control when it comes to ICE operations.
“I’m gonna do everything in my power to set the standard for not perpetuating a policy of fear,” Watson said. “I don’t want us to do anything that would contribute to this palpable pain and fear that we see in our community.”
Watson also said the city would continue to do things that police are already committed to in keeping the community safe.
“We’re dealing with a very real situation and politicizing it right now is not going to gain us any real benefit in that,” Watson said. “It’s instead going to put us in a situation where retribution is something that we’re dealing with.”
You can watch the full Austin immigration roundtable here or in the video below: