Whitmire and ICE
Cheating, crooked Ken Paxton didn’t get any love on “What’s Your Point?” yesterday. Moderator Greg Groogan opened the show saying on the campaign trail senate candidates faced tough questions, “one talked, the other walked.” Groogan was referencing State Rep. James Talarico taking a question and answering from an African American activist in H-Town last week, and Paxton avoiding questions and ducking out of a press conference with county sheriffs. None of the panelists yesterday said anything good about Paxton. If Paxton can’t get something good said about him on “What’s Your Point?”, well, you get the picture.
_____
The Chron has a front-page story on H-Town Mayor John Whitmire, ICE, and politics. See the featured photo. I participated in the story (even though my first name was misspelled). Sooner or later the Chron was going to write this story about the mayor and the politics on dealing with ICE. Here is from the story:
A moderate Democrat with five decades in elected office, Whitmire has spent his career working across the aisle, repeatedly touting that his “reasonable” approach has shielded Houston from the worst of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Progressive critics say that instinct has left immigrant communities at risk. But Whitmire allies, including Latino elected officials and community leaders, say critics overlook both his decades-long record with Houston’s Latino community and the legal constraints state law places on the city.
In his first extended interview with the Houston Chronicle since August 2025, Whitmire said politics hasn’t influenced his approach to ICE issues, arguing there’s no time for politics when dealing with a tragedy.
“I have to do what I think maintains the unity of our city, and that is a real challenge. Immigration is a very divisive issue,” Whitmire said. “Most of my critics are just looking for something to harm me. They don’t harm me. I’m in good shape. They harm the city by creating divisiveness.”
Whitmire told the Chronicle his pivot after the Salgado shooting was not driven by public pressure.
“Pressure? I don’t even know what that is… What changed the intensity of my comments was the report [Garcia] gave me after meeting with the witnesses,” he said, referring to a discussion he had with U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston.
Yet the sustained public outrage is notable enough for political observers to question if the mayor’s handling of the ICE controversies could become a political liability for Whitmire, who intends to seek reelection next year.
“He’s tried to thread the needle to appeal to and please multiple constituencies, and it’s a challenge with such an explosive issue,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist. “The election’s a long time away, there will be more political problems that come up, some unavoidable, but this will be an issue that certainly the left won’t forget.”
Here is the entire Chron read: Houston ICE controversies test Mayor Whitmire’s bipartisan support.
Remember when this came out about ten days ago:
In a newly released federal search warrant affidavit, federal investigators claim that Araujo had three bags believed to contain crystal meth in his vehicle at the time.
Three small plastic bags containing a ‘white crystal-like substance in the middle of the dash between the driver and passenger side of the vehicle’, the affidavit said.
I said this:
I was suspicious when this was first reported. Who in the heck keeps illegal drugs on their dash?
It turns out it wasn’t drugs.
We all know that ICE is out of control. ICE is also very unpopular. I know some in MAGA are uncomfortable discussing ICE. Some in MAGA know ICE is a vulnerability heading into the November election.
The mayor is doing the best he can dealing with an out-of-control entity. He is also talking to and seeking advice from trusted members of the community. Let’s not forget that there really is not a playbook for dealing with a rogue federal outfit. Think about that.
_____
We took two out of three from the White Sox in Chicago this past weekend. We are still two games behind in the AL West. We start a three-game series in Anaheim this evening. 55 games remain on the schedule.