article
DALLAS – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to pull millions of dollars in public safety and World Cup funding from the City of Dallas.
The governor says Dallas is violating a contract by not working with the Department of Homeland Security on immigration enforcement.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux is now speaking out after the threat to pull millions in funding.
Dallas responds to Abbott threat
Comeaux said DPD’s policy concerning immigration has been in place for some time, and he believes they comply with state law.
In response to the letter, the city said it is committed to complying with all applicable state and federal laws.
What they’re saying:
Dallas City Councilman Jaime Resendez, who is on the public safety committee, thinks Abbott is putting politics over safety.
“What we’re seeing right now is an attempt to coerce local governments into shifting our focus away from public safety and toward federal immigration enforcement,” Resendez said. “As we all know here in the City of Dallas, we have real public safety challenges, violent crime, traffic fatalities, emergency response, and our officers need to stay focused on those priorities.”
“I think that the Dallas Police Department should focus on public safety in general,” Resendez said. “It’s not their role to enforce federal immigration laws.”
The other side:
In response to these claims, the governor’s press office says the policy change order is intended to enhance, not hinder, public safety in Dallas.
“A city’s failure to comply with its contract agreement with the state to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws makes the state less safe. It can have deadly consequences. Cities in Texas are expected to make the streets safer, not more deadly.”
Abbott threatens funding
The backstory:
The governor’s office sent letters to Dallas, Houston and Austin on Thursday.
The public safety office took issue with a Dallas Police General Order that bans the detention of suspects to investigate their immigration status or hold them for federal authorities. As a result, the state is threatening to pull more than $30 million dollars in grant money, and withhold more than $50 million ahead of the World Cup.
What’s next:
The City of Dallas said they will respond to the governor by the April 23 deadline.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the City of Dallas, city officials and the governors office.