Houston City Council is slated to consider applying for a $150 million U.S. Department of Justice grant at its Wednesday meeting, after Mayor John Whitmire’s administration pulled the item from the September 16 agenda, Houston Public Media reports. The money would come from the department’s Model Cities Initiative, whose guidelines say applicants must align with several priorities, including immigration law enforcement operations.
Whitmire told the station the city does not enforce immigration law, that it has asked for clarification of the grant guidelines, and that an internal Houston Police Department legal analysis found the grant asks for nothing beyond what the city already does under state law. The city says its proposed program is aimed at reducing crime and modernizing public safety technology. The Justice Department set a September 1 application deadline and declined to say whether it would grant Houston an extension. Kingwood is in Houston City Council District E.
