Austin Protest Demands Limits on Police Cooperation with ICE

Hundreds gathered outside Austin City Hall on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demand limits on local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The demonstration was part of a nationwide "Free America" walkout organized by the National Women’s March Organization, marking one year of President Donald Trump’s second administration. Over half of the attendees raised their hands when asked if they knew someone afraid to be in public due to ICE.

A petition with more than 10,000 signatures was delivered to City Council members, urging the city and Austin Police Department (APD) to explicitly refuse cooperation with ICE. Sophia Mirto, president of activist group Hands Off Central Texas, criticized recent Texas laws like Senate Bill 4 (2017, expanded in 2023) and Senate Bill 8 (2025), which mandate local law enforcement collaboration with ICE. "We hear a lot about the decision makers in DC, but because of the pressures from the state of Texas, GOP passing laws — like Senate Bill eight and Senate Bill four — recently that mandates and controls the ways in which local government can collaboration with federal law enforcement," Mirto said.

The protest followed APD’s updated guidance on ICE cooperation, which requires supervisor approval for officers to wait for ICE agents. This change came after a January 5, 2026, 911 call led to the deportation of a Honduran woman and her 5-year-old U.S. citizen daughter—a case cited by civil rights attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, sparking loud jeers from the crowd.

City Council Member Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, who received the petition, expressed disappointment with APD’s new policy: "Truthfully, I was disappointed to see the new language come out on the cooperation between APD and ICE. That's what me and my colleagues are looking into: what exactly does it look like for us to pushing back against ICE. I think comments are great. I think statements are great. I think solidarity is great. But I want to do things that have teeth."

Speakers also shared resources for families to prepare for immigration enforcement actions and encouraged voter registration. Community organizer Chas Moore emphasized sustained activism: "immigrant rights and racial justice are deeply connected."