Acevedo, who is president of the National Association of Police Chiefs, said that In a telephone conversation he had on Wednesday afternoon with federal immigration authorities he learned that Houston is on the list, but they reaffirmed that the city, nor any other in Texas, is considered a “sanctuary.”
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“They are mainly looking for people who are involved in committing crimes … If you are a person who is here undocumented, but is responsible, you should not be afraid,” the police chief told Univision 45.
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Acevedo warns that if during the operations to capture undocumented immigrants with criminal records they find someone who has not committed crimes, they will also arrest him. “This is a time when we have to walk with people who are responsible and not with criminals,” he said.
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About the operations, he said they are not special, they are routine procedures of the agency. “What is special is the political theater and also (that use this) to generate fear among the community,” he added.
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At the end of the day, he says, “If you are a person who is here undocumented, but is responsible, you should not be afraid, if you are not living with a criminal, because again, tell me who you are with and I will tell you who you are.”
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The police chief recognizes that in Houston there are about 600,000 undocumented immigrants and among them there are many who “are criminals, committing violent crimes”, and victimize those who are honest.
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“I will never apologize or apologize for going after the criminals,” he emphasized, while saying that many times these criminals abuse other immigrants. “The Houston Police are here to protect our community, we are not interested in whether they are undocumented or not, we are interested in public safety.”
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The posture of the Harris County Sheriff
Ed Gonzalez, sheriff of Harris County, also referred to the issue of sending Border Patrol special agents to Houston. “This proposal makes no sense to me,” said the officer, and explained that in Texas there is the SB4 law that forces local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with immigration, to deliver to people with criminal records.
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“I already cooperate with ICE since then (when they passed the law), but we do not cooperate in raids … we are not immigration agents and we will do everything possible, together with the Houston Police – Chief Acevedo – to try to protect the community the best we can, to give them information, ”said Gonzalez, who was annoyed by what he called“ attacks on our own communities ”.
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“It’s not fair, it’s wrong, and it’s a fool of the federal government attacking immigrants and here in our city, which is not a sanctuary, ”he said, but at the same time he clarified that if someone commits a crime, he will go to jail, whoever he is.
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