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The Austin Police Department (APD) on April 24 reached an agreement with Texas state authorities to release a stricter policy that would require local police to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when they encounter people with an ICE warrant out against them. The move comes months after community outrage following the January ICE arrest of Karen Guadalupe Gutiérrez Castellanos and her 5-year-old daughter Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos after Gutiérrez called Austin police for help dealing with a friend’s alleged abuser. When officers arrived, they reported Gutiérrez to ICE, leading to her deportation to Honduras along with her daughter, who is a U.S. citizen.
In its initial response to the outrage the incident prompted, APD updated its guidance to officers on March 4 to soften its stance toward immigration enforcement. “The officer or the supervisor, as appropriate, may, but is not required to, contact the ICE Law Enforcement Service Center,” the policy said…