Texas Governor Greg Abbott is already moving to defund the police in Houston. He is pulling $110 million in public safety grants that fund police, fire, emergency preparedness, and security operations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at NRG Stadium.

It seems to be related to an ordinance that says police shouldn’t wait around for federal agents. He gave Mayor John Whitmire until April 20 to repeal a money-saving efficiency ordinance or repay the full $110 million within 30 days. Attorney General Ken Paxton, running for U.S. Senate, opened an investigation the same week and raised the possibility of removing elected officials from office. For what?

Council Member Abbie Kamin called the Texas State order what it is: Abbott is “defunding the police.”

Houston’s city council simply voted 12-5 last week to do what is expected of them: free police officers from being saddled with detaining people or prolonging traffic stops only over civil immigration warrants issued by ICE. Officers still contact ICE. They just don’t stop all police work to instead sit around and physically detain people while federal agents may never show up. If ICE wants someone physically detained, that’s ICE’s job, while the police have more important actual police work to do.

This is routine. San Antonio requires officers to contact ICE but operates the same way. Dallas officers don’t wait for ICE to respond either. Austin and Dallas give supervisors discretion over whether to contact ICE at all. Houston’s policy is more cooperative than several other major Texas cities.

Abbott is targeting Houston in his first move to defund the police. If the Houston ordinance stands, Texas defunds police by cutting budget. If the Houston ordinance is removed, Texas defunds police by cutting authority.

Police lose, either way.