HOUSTON (KIAH) – Tensions erupted at Houston City Hall on Wednesday when immigrant rights advocate Cesar Espinosa, Co Founder and Executive Director of FIEL Houston, was escorted out of council chambers after shouting at Mayor John Whitmire and Police Chief Noe Diaz over the case of Emmanuel Gonzalez Garcia, the 15-year-old autistic teen currently in federal custody under the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The confrontation happened moments after Chief Diaz presented the police department’s version of why Emmanuel ended up in federal custody, getting praise from several council members. Espinosa suddenly stood up and began shouting that the chief and mayor were “lying” about what led to the teen’s detention. Officers quickly stepped in and escorted him out as council members looked on in silence, and others recorded the event on cell phones.
The emotional outburst came just one day after Emmanuel’s mother, Maria Garcia, alongside Espinosa, pleaded with city leaders for help to get her son home. During that meeting, Mayor Whitmire promised to assemble a legal and investigative team to review what happened and explore ways to help the family…