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As the state targets cities over ICE policies, Austin considers next steps

By Mose Buchele | KUT

Published May 3, 2026 at 5:12 PM CDT

From the left, Maria Hinojosa, founder of Futuro Media Group, Kristin Etter, Director of Policy and Legal Services Texas Immigration Law Council, Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri, Austin City Council Member José Velásquez, and Carmen Zuvieta, Austin Sanctuary Network, at the KUT Festival on May 2, 2026.

In some ways, Texas has provided a crystal ball for the rest of the country when it comes to immigration policy.

Before the Trump administration poured billions into immigration enforcement and built partnerships between local police and state and federal immigration agents, Texas was already doing it.

So, for those opposed to the deportation surge, Texas is worth paying attention to.

That was one of the takeaways from a panel Saturday at the KUT Festival.

"Here in Texas, we have kind of a four- to five-year head start when it comes to the rest of the country," said Kristin Etter, the director of policy and legal services at the Texas Immigration Law Council. "We have operated a program called Operation Lone Star that has used state resources. So we have a model here in Texas for this police/ICE collaboration."

Another takeaway from the panel: In a state where much of the voting public and all state political leaders support aggressive immigration enforcement, opposition becomes local.

In liberal Austin, local leaders have tried to craft policies that would limit police partnering with ICE, but the governor took notice and the Austin Police Department had to soften one policy under threat of funding cuts.

City Council Member Zo Qadri said Austin still has tools at its disposal "to make sure that folks are protected and are safe."

City Council Member José Velásquez pointed to millions in city funding for local immigration advocacy groups and the council's support for Austin's "safe to call" initiative as examples.

That policy orders the city management to find ways people might call 911 without inadvertently opening themselves up to ICE detention.

But regardless of those efforts, immigrant advocate Carmen Zuvieta said anyone who at risk of being targeted by immigration enforcement should think twice before interacting with the police.

"In Texas, all the police are immigration," she said. "So when you see one police stop one person, don't assume it's a ticket."

Kristin Etter concurred. Though, she said, some current state law may ultimately be struck down.

"We believe that the Constitution is supreme," Etter said. "Constitutional rights cannot be taken away from state laws."