A tense scene played out at Houston City Hall this week as roughly 100 people packed City Council chambers to demand the city cut ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The crowd shouted at council members and pressed for answers about how—and when—Houston cooperates with federal immigration authorities, amid growing anger nationwide over recent ICE-related shootings in Minneapolis.

The protests were also driven by recent rumors about ICE activity at city warming centers, which Mayor John Whitmire has denied. Still, the moment underscored how much fear and frustration immigration enforcement is stirring in communities right now.

If you’re thinking about showing up to a protest or just want to be informed, the National Immigration Law Center has options for taking action, and the ACLU offers a guide on protesters’ rights.

Stay safe, and stay informed.

🗺️ Rice freshmen built a website mapping ICE incidents nationwide after Houston raids kept immigrant families indoors and homebound. (Rice Thresher)

🏟️ University of Houston architecture students propose new futures for the long-dormant Astrodome, balancing preservation, cost, and community vision. (Houston Defender)

❄️ Another cold front is headed to Houston this weekend, with hard freezes likely Friday and Saturday nights. (Houston Public Media)

🚗 File this under sad, but believable: Houston drivers spent about 90 hours stuck in rush-hour traffic last year, losing days to congestion citywide. (Axios Houston)

🧂 If house-made margaritas and sizzling hot fajitas are your jam, head over to the recently opened El Tiempo in POST Houston over on Franklin Street.

🍤 Over at Central Park Post Oak near the Galleria, Arizona-based seafood restaurant Buck & Rider is expected to open in fall 2027. The eatery will serve sushi, crab cakes, steak, and chicken.

😢 Burger and barbecue restaurant Zane’s Original has closed down in Seabrook after just two years in business at its brick-and-mortar location.

🤖 You won’t just find doctors and nurses over in the Medical Center—starting Jan. 30, you might even see robots making your food at iWok, a fast-casual Asian restaurant.

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By Sam Cohen

This month, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston opened its latest exhibit, “Frida: The Making of an Icon,” featuring 35 artworks by famed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Some of her iconic self-portraits will be on display, as will photographs, sculptures, and paintings by other artists “who mined Kahlo’s paintings and personal history to claim her as their own,” per Houston Public Media.

Following her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works grew in popularity until she eventually became a pop culture icon. Her likeness has adorned countless items from coffee mugs to journals and everything in between.

This is a stark contrast to how she was perceived during her lifetime. As the MFAH put it, she was “practically unknown to mainstream audiences” while she was alive.

The idea behind the MFAH exhibit was to take a closer look at Kahlo’s artistic and personal journey, and how, over time, she became the global icon she is today.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Sierra Rozen. with reporting by Sam Cohen. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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