Houston City Council Meeting Summary - February 24, 2026

The Houston City Council convened on February 24, 2026, with Mayor Whitmire presiding. The meeting included an invocation, pledge of allegiance, roll call, public comments, and consideration of the agenda for the following day. A major focus was on immigration-related issues, with numerous speakers urging the city to end non-safety traffic stops and collaboration with ICE. Other topics included a proposed gas station in the Riverside Terrace neighborhood, illegal dumping, the Bethune Empowerment Center, and various council announcements.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Immigration and Non-Safety Traffic Stops: Over 30 speakers, many from the Migration with Dignity Coalition, urged the council to end non-safety traffic stops and HPD collaboration with ICE. Speakers included:
  • Jennifer Johnson (District C, Migration with Dignity Coalition): Cited a Cato Institute report stating 73% of people detained by ICE have no convictions, and 95% have no violent convictions. Asked the council to suspend non-safety traffic stops.
  • James Murphy (District C): Spoke against policies subjecting neighbors to fear of detention or deportation due to accent or appearance.
  • Pauline Troncale (East End, third-generation Houstonian): Asked the council to consider how they want to be remembered regarding immigrant protections.
  • Sister Ricca Dimalibot (District I, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word): Asked the council to urge a proactive stance protecting immigrant rights and to untangle HPD from ICE.
  • Catherine Guthrie (Joaquin Martinez's district): Expressed concern about children fearing law enforcement due to HPD-ICE collaboration.
  • Taylor Brown (District K, registered nurse): Noted a decline in city energy and said non-safety traffic stops lead to patients being afraid to speak openly.
  • Emily Chapman (District C, senior pastor at St. Mark's United Methodist Church): Asked the council to protect immigrants by ending non-safety traffic stops.
  • Hannah Atkins Romero (rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, 19 years): Represented 20 faith leaders organizing around ending non-safety traffic stops.
  • Eileen McKeevers (District E, Quaker, daughter of immigrants): Asked for an end to non-safety traffic stops and HPD collaboration with ICE.
  • Luke Chisholm (Houston resident): Called ICE's actions a "reign of violence" and asked HPD to abstain from non-safety traffic stops.
  • Maria Teresa Bautista Veloz (District K, priest at Trinity Episcopal Church, Afro-Latina woman): Said her husband, an elementary school teacher, has lost four students due to deportations.
  • Lindsay Burroughs (Houston resident): Said non-safety traffic stops are a waste of time and tax dollars, rarely result in arrest or contraband, and disproportionately harm Black and Brown communities.
  • Adrian Amasquita (representing largest Hispanic pastoral network in Houston, 130+ churches): Asked to limit cooperation with ICE, saying good, hardworking people deserve to remain in peace.
  • Maximiliano Diaz (son and spouse of immigrants): Expressed disgust at the city ignoring the will of the people and said SB4 requires compliance with valid ICE detainers, not administrative warrants.
  • Destiny Planter (civil rights attorney, People's Council): Said her clients have been attacked and brutalized, and non-safety traffic stops do not keep Black and Brown people safe.
  • Brittany Francis (executive director, People's Council, daughter of immigrants): Said her office speaks weekly with Houston residents brutalized by police, and low-level infractions turn into loss of life.
  • Sister Maureen O'Connell (Dominican sister, District G): Raised concerns about trauma to police officers and immigrant communities from ICE collaboration.
  • Camila Amador (16-year-old HISD student): Asked the council to revise HPD General Order 5005 to change "shall" to "may" regarding contacting ICE, to protect classrooms from becoming checkpoints.
  • Samuel Jesse (recent Houston transplant): Said collaboration between police and ICE does not engender safety but instills fear and distrust.
  • Callista Schneido Herbert (District C, Migration with Dignity Coalition): Noted over 2,600 immigrant drivers have been deported from non-safety traffic stops since 2002.
  • Sarah Sayed (policy manager, Woody Juntos): Asked for full transparency regarding HPD-ICE interactions, including a publicly available workflow in multiple languages.
  • Sarah Raymond (teacher and artist): Said non-safety traffic stops are a civil rights issue and that HPD data shows increases in use of force and arrests from such stops.
  • Felix Kapoor (District I): Recounting ICE agents in his neighborhood, said the city needs to do more than make proclamations.
  • Claire (District A, 7 months pregnant): Said council's claims about legal requirements to collaborate with ICE are not concrete.
  • Michelle Leon (Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church): Cited a 2025 HPD racial profiling report showing 84% of 7,000 traffic violations were committed by people of color, and asked for an end to non-safety traffic stops.
  • Andrea Rapier (immigrant, U.S. Army veteran, child of documented immigrants): Said the 287(g) agreement protects the community and non-safety traffic stops intercept undocumented criminals.
  • Jeremy Peel (District C, attorney): Asked the council to adopt a policy protecting constitutional rights of immigrants, noting Fifth Circuit upheld SB4 but Fourth Amendment prohibits prolonged detention without suspicion of a crime.
  • Connor Schultz (on behalf of Rice University International Student Body): Asked the council to end non-safety traffic stops and ICE collaboration, saying students have a right to education without fear of deportation.
  • Cody Zale (UH student, Houston DSA): Said collaboration with ICE has to end, calling non-safety traffic stops a funnel to ICE detention.
  • Jasmine Khatamagbari (Houston resident): Said HPD shares Flock surveillance data with a police department in Illinois and asked the council to end the Flock contract.
  • Danny Stevens (District G): Opposed policy change, citing the death of a child (Arya) from a drunk driving accident involving an undocumented immigrant, and said the council should prioritize U.S. citizens.
  • Matthew Banzer (District C): Said the city's response to ICE collaboration is "just trust me, bro" and called it ridiculous.
  • Maya Fletcher (Houston resident): Said immigration defines Houston's character, and making the city hostile to immigration is self-defeating.
  • Anthony Hubbard (Houston resident): Asked why the front steps were barricaded and said ending non-safety traffic stops is something the council can do today without targeting by the state.
  • Thomas Sutherland (Houston resident): Cited 4,400 court rulings that ICE has jailed people illegally and asked the council to end non-safety traffic stops and ICE collaboration.
  • Michelle Bouchard (District C): Said non-safety traffic stops prevent accidents and save lives, citing over 300 traffic deaths per year in Houston.
  • Gilda Bayagon (descendant of immigrants): Said the council is there to keep the city safe, not to impede HPD, and called ending non-safety traffic stops reckless.
  • Christopher Rivera (Tech Social Rights Project): Said Texas data shows main causes of road fatalities are DWI, failure to control speed, etc., not the violations targeted by non-safety traffic stops.
  • Carolina Martinez (Houston resident): Asked the council where they stand on ending non-safety traffic stops and said these stops cause more harm than good.
  • Alfredo Dominguez (Houston resident): Said non-safety traffic stops are a racist practice and inefficient, noting less than 5% of 100,000 such stops result in search, arrest, or contraband.
  • Jay Bustos (Houston resident): Said the council has yet to give a solid stance on ICE, and "we do not interact with ICE" is not a stance.
• Proposed Gas Station in Riverside Terrace (5204 Live Oak/Southmore): Multiple speakers opposed the development:
  • State Representative Jolanda Jones (House District 147): Said the replat violates mandatory deed restrictions that control the property, is not compliant with Chapter 42, and the neighborhood does not want the gas station. She also said the Planning Department has not responded to her public information request.
  • Ronald Thomas (Riverside Terrace resident): Said there are already three "stop and rob" stores within 800 yards and urged the council to stop the "abomination."
  • Jamila Glover Heard (Riverside Terrace resident): Asked how the city's economic development department partners with businesses to bring value to the community.
  • Sharon Evans Brooks (representing 5,000 households in McGregor super neighborhood): Said in the absence of zoning, historic neighborhoods are victims of developers who play loose with ordinances.
  • Nick Saunders (resident, disabled combat veteran): Said if the development proceeds, his home becomes unsellable due to carcinogens from burn pit exposure.
  • Julia Saunders (resident): Said the development would increase traffic hazard, late-night activity, crime risk, and lower property values.
  • Maya Ford (Oakdale Street resident): Said the replat application contains omissions and is disingenuous, avoiding the main thoroughfare to bypass variances.
  • Travis McGee (Southwalk Super Neighborhood President): Called for zoning and said bad businesses are dumped in Black and Brown communities.
  • Jason Poland (resident): Said peer-reviewed studies show children within 300 feet of gas stations are twice as likely to develop leukemia.
  • Tatiana Rapinski (6th Ward): Said there is a proposed ordinance setting minimum distance between gas stations and homes, currently with the administration, and asked the council to keep it moving forward.
  • Kofi Taharka (National Black United Front): Asked the council to stand against the gas station and said his organization is within 300 feet of the proposed site.
• Illegal Dumping and Glenwood Forest Whitmobile: Several speakers thanked the mayor and the city for the "Whitmobile" (patrol car combating illegal dumping):
  • Larry Cooper (Glenwood Forest community): Thanked Mayor Whitmire for visiting the neighborhood and asked for a committee to enforce deed restrictions.
  • Philip "PJ" Jones (former president, Glenwood Forest Civic Club): Thanked the mayor for the Whitmobile, calling it a lifeline during storms and a tool to hunt illegal dumpers.
  • Alvina Randolph (honorary member, Glenwood Forest Civic Club): Thanked the mayor for leadership and investment in security.
  • Kimberly Lee (East Houston/Glenwood Forest area): Thanked the administration for increased efforts to combat illegal dumping.
  • Kiel Burns (Glenwood Forest Civic Club): Thanked the mayor for the Whitmobile, saying it has been a blessing.
• Illegal Dumping in South Union and Sunnyside:
  • Tamara Alexander (president, South Union Civic Club): Said illegal dumping remains a daily battle and asked for coordinated action.
  • Shermika Martin (South Union): Thanked the council for starting a program in another district that South Union would like to mimic.
  • Andrew Beaver (founder, Clean the Block, Sunnyside): Asked for policy changes including fences on vacant lots and for help with trash collection.
• Bethune Empowerment Center (Acres Home):
  • Norma Joe Thomas (Acres Home): Said the community organized to turn the Bethune Academy into the Bethune Empowerment Center, but the project is way behind schedule.
  • Helene Wardlow (native Houstonian): Said the project was promised by former Mayor Turner and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, but has stopped.
  • Rain Eatman (Acres Home): Thanked the mayor for agreeing to meet with the community, expressed concern about the developer and lack of transparency.
  • Alicia Sebastian (Acres Home): Asked for a renewed sustainable economic platform using the center.
  • Justin Boyd (grew up in Acres Home, now in Willowbrook): Thanked the mayor for agreeing to meet and asked for real action.
• Other:
  • Charlene Jones (Third Ward): Opposed a gas station near her home.
  • Samuel Wagner (Midtown): Asked for the Austin Street bike lane to be reconstructed south of Gray Street.
  • Jan Fourney (Montrose): Warned of liability for the city regarding ICE lawlessness.
  • Precious Jones (founder, Breaking Generational Poverty, St. Louis, MO): Said she is in Houston to connect on violence prevention and youth development.
  • James Shriver (Houston resident): Said a student from Sam Houston High School was abducted from immigration court by ICE and is detained in Conroe for over 60 days.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda included appointments, contracts, and routine items approved without separate discussion. Notable: Item 5 (Board of Directors appointments) was removed and considered separately; Item 3 was pulled for separate consideration. All other consent items were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

• Item 5 (Separate Consideration): The council approved appointments except for Mr. Manu Gupta, whose appointment was referred back after he indicated he lacked the time to fulfill the position.
• Item 7 (Final Payment, Montrose Library): Councilmember Kamin praised the new library, which welcomed 7,720 visitors in January 2026 and had nearly 1,500 participants in programming. She raised concerns about the old Montrose Library property and a reverter clause. The mayor said the issue would be addressed with legal.
• Item 12 (Election Security Grant): Councilmember Ramirez highlighted $200,000 from the federal government for election security training and exercises.
• Item 13 (Grounds Maintenance Contract): Councilmember Alcorn expressed support but asked that the city adequately fund green space maintenance in the budget.
• Item 14 (Lake Houston Dam Study): Councilmember Flickinger said the interlocal agreement is a small step on a long journey for flood mitigation.
• Item 17 (Affordable Housing Resolution): Councilmember Martinez supported 80 additional units at 60% AMI in the Hobby Airport area.
• Item 22 (Tagged by Pollard): No discussion noted; tagged for later.
• Item 31 (Tire Recycling Contract): Councilmember Flickinger said enforcement of the tire ordinance is better than expected but called for a Government Operations Committee hearing. Councilmember Kamin highlighted new technology for tire recycling. Councilmember Alcorn shared that the Clean City Commission has recommendations.
• Item 33 (Upper Kirby TIRZ Budget): Passed with Councilmember Ramirez voting no. She raised equity concerns, noting that Upper Kirby TIRZ has spent $233 million since 1999 while Fifth Ward TIRZ has spent $10 million. Mayor Whitmire acknowledged issues but said TIRZs are complex and solutions are needed.

Key Outcomes

• The council voted to add Travis McGee to the end of the three-minute non-agenda speaker list (procedural).
• The council voted to move speakers and add names to the speaker list via procedural motions.
• The council referred the appointment of Mr. Manu Gupta back after he indicated he could not fulfill the position.
• The consent agenda was approved, with items 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 31, 33, and 40 removed for separate consideration. All but item 33 were approved. Item 33 passed with Councilmember Ramirez voting no.
• The council approved item 19 (homelessness funding ordinance).
• The council adjourned at approximately 6:00 PM (after the morning session) until 9:00 AM the next day.
• The council scheduled a special call meeting for March 30 (joint meeting between economic development and housing).
• The council announced the second town hall on apartment inspections for March 5, 2026.