The State of Texas threatened to force the City of Houston to repay $132 million for failing to comply with ICE requests.
Posted by The Benny Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 contradict2 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 55%
The Benny ShowOct 28, 2026
Sources support that Gov. Abbott's office threatened to cut state public safety funding to Houston over its ICE policy, but they report withdrawal of about $110 million to $114 million in grants, not a $132 million repayment.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… I said, Oh, yes, you are, because I've got a contract right here with the city, signature on it, with the police department signature on it, saying they will comply. And they don't, I was going to force them to repay the State of Texas $132 million. They said, Oh, you know what? We will comply with that. We're not going to be able to find that under the mattress. Yeah, we don't have that under the mattress. But listen, largely, you know, the Set of Texas is a rule of law states. …
The Benny Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Reporting puts the Houston threat at about $110 million (Houston Chronicle-style AP and Texas Signal coverage) or $114 million (NPR), not $132 million, so the specific figure in the claim does not match the record.[1][3][4][5]
Supports. Abbott's office threatened to withdraw public safety grants from Houston over its ordinance limiting police cooperation with ICE, with the threat reported in April 2026.[1][3][6][7]
Context. The threat was a withdrawal of state grants tied to grant certifications, not an order to repay funds; the notice of non-compliance describes certification requirements for receiving state grants.[2]
Context. Combined threats across Houston, Dallas and Austin were reported at about $200 million, and NPR cited nearly $150 million, so the $132 million figure does not clearly match any reported total.[1][3][8]
Sources
8 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 5 not rated
- 1Gov. Greg Abbott threatens $200 million in funding from major...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
- 2G O V E R N O R G R E G A B B O T Thoustontx.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 3Texas governor threatens to revoke grants from cities that don't cooperate with ICEnpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts, supports, context
- 4Gov. Greg Abbott threatens $200 million in funding from major Texas cities over ICE policiestheintelligencer.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Texas Cities Targeted Over ICE Guidelinestexassignal.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6Greg Abbott threatens Texas cities over ICE policiestexastribune.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 7Texas cities try to address citizen anger over immigration crackdown ...houstonpublicmedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8Blue city in a red state: Houston fights Texas over ICE cooperationwashingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The City of Houston voted to stop complying with ICE requests approximately two months prior to the recording.Mixed
- Texas passed SB4, which allows law enforcement officers to arrest, detain, and deport illegal immigrants.True
- The State of Texas passed a law banning homeless encampments and withholding funding from cities that fail to comply.True