Texas AG Launches Probe Into Austin's Immigration Warrant Policies

Investigation focuses on city's restrictions on officers cooperating with federal ICE agents

Apr. 14, 2026 at 8:20pm

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A photorealistic painting of a solitary police car parked on a dimly lit urban street, with warm sunlight casting long shadows across the scene, capturing a sense of quiet contemplation and the broader political tensions at play.As tensions escalate over immigration enforcement, a lone police vehicle stands as a symbol of the complex relationship between local and state authorities.Austin Today

The Texas Attorney General's Office has launched an investigation into the City of Austin over the Austin Police Department's updated policies that restrict officers from detaining or arresting individuals based solely on administrative warrants from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The probe is examining whether the policy changes comply with a 2017 state law that prohibits local jurisdictions from limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Why it matters

This investigation highlights the ongoing tensions between local governments and state authorities over immigration enforcement policies. It comes as the state is also looking into ICE cooperation policies in Houston, underscoring the broader political battle over the role of local police in federal immigration matters.

The details

In March, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis updated the department's general orders to restrict officers from detaining or arresting individuals based solely on ICE administrative warrants. Under the new policy, if an officer discovers an ICE warrant, they can contact ICE agents but can only wait for them to arrive with permission from a supervisor. The AG's office is investigating whether this policy violates a 2017 Texas law, known as Senate Bill 4, that prohibits local jurisdictions from limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

  • The Texas Attorney General's Office launched the investigation on Friday, April 14, 2026.
  • In March 2026, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis updated the department's general orders with the new policy restrictions.

The players

Texas Attorney General's Office

The state government agency that has launched an investigation into the City of Austin's immigration warrant policies.

City of Austin

The local government entity that oversees the Austin Police Department and is the subject of the state investigation.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis

The head of the Austin Police Department who updated the department's general orders in March 2026 to restrict cooperation with federal immigration agents.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement, whose administrative warrants are at the center of the policy dispute between Austin and the state of Texas.

Texas Legislature

The state government body that passed Senate Bill 4 in 2017, the law that the Texas Attorney General's Office is investigating Austin for potentially violating.

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What they’re saying

“The revisions to the APD general orders are compliant with SB 4.”

— Austin officials

What’s next

The Texas Attorney General's Office will continue its investigation into whether Austin's police policies violate the state's immigration enforcement law. If the state determines the city is non-compliant, it could take legal action against Austin.

The takeaway

This dispute over local immigration enforcement policies highlights the ongoing political tensions between Texas state government and some of its largest cities, with both sides claiming to uphold the law while advancing their own policy agendas on a sensitive and divisive issue.