Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is warning Dallas County that time is running out to comply with a state law requiring local jails to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
In a two-page letter sent Wednesday, Paxton told the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office it must enter into an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as a 287(g) agreement, as required under state law for counties that operate jails.
Paxton said the agreement is not optional and called Dallas County’s efforts “woefully behind” other large Texas counties.
He noted that counties including El Paso, Bexar and Harris have already entered into such agreements, and gave Dallas County until June 1 to show progress toward compliance.
A SMU political science professor said the timing of the letter may also carry political significance.
“This is not something that Paxton has made up out of full cloth. Now, of course, the timing does have some political relevance,” Matthew Wilson said.
Wilson pointed to Paxton’s upcoming primary runoff against U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP Senate race on May 26.
He also outlined potential consequences if the county does not comply.
“One path could be denying grants and funding to county law enforcement. Another path could be holding the actual sheriff criminally liable for non-compliance with the law,” Wilson said.
Late Wednesday, Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown responded, saying the county is already complying with state and federal laws and will continue to do so.
Brown said the sheriff’s office maintains an active working relationship with ICE and cited data showing Dallas County among the top 10 jails in the U.S. for processing ICE detainers during the last half of 2025.
She added that her office is following the Texas Legislature’s Dec. 1 deadline to meet 287(g) requirements.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.