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Resident questions Balcones Heights police agreement with ICE
Summary
At public comment, Rebecca Flores said the Balcones Heights Police Department signed a memorandum of agreement with ICE under the task-force model and urged council to disclose training, racial-profiling policy, DHS reimbursements and community safeguards.
Rebecca Flores, a precinct coordinator for the Bexar County Democratic Party, told the council that on Jan. 7 the Balcones Heights Police Department signed a memo of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to participate in a task-force model that allows officers to identify, ask for papers and detain people they suspect are immigrants. Flores urged transparency about training, equipment and funding and asked whether officers would prioritize immigration enforcement over 911 calls.
"Your police officers now can make a choice to either answer a 911 call from their residence or chase down someone they suspect is an immigrant so that your police department can get reimbursed for their catch of the day," Flores said. Mayor Rodriguez asked staff to follow up with Flores and provide contact information for further conversation. The council did not take action on the matter at the meeting.
