Dallas Police will not voluntarily assist with ICE operations, says the new chief.
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Five months after he was sworn in, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux finally answered what is arguably the main question involving his department during his short tenure. On Tuesday night, Comeux told the Community Police Oversight Board that he turned down $25 million in federal funding to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a report from KERA.
Shortly after Comeaux joined the force, he, perhaps inadvertently, caused some confusion over how DPD might work with ICE on immigration enforcement when he made comments to Fox News and the Dallas Morning News suggesting his officers would assist federal immigration officials in carrying out their objectives. After those interviews, he avoided answering direct questions from local media that would clarify what role Dallas officers would play in immigration-related operations.
The money Comeaux says he turned down would’ve made Dallas a part of ICE’s 287(g) Program, the same arrangement that Keller recently entered into.
The 287(g) program allows city and county law enforcement agencies to conduct limited immigration enforcement policies in partnership with ICE. This extends a few of the federal agencies’ responsibilities to local officers and grants them greater access to national databases.
Dallas would’ve been the largest Texas city by a giant margin to be entered in the program had it agreed to be included. For now, Keller reportedly remains the largest 287(g) Texas city.
Comeaux seemed to want to set the record straight in his own words after months of silence and online speculation from others, telling the oversight board, “So some of the things that are being posted and being said are just absolutely not true, and it’s not happening in Dallas,” Comeaux said, according to the KERA report. “Now, is it happening in other places? Yes, but it’s not happening here.”
The deadly Sept. 24 ICE facility shooting in Dallas has served to raise concerns for how local officers might partner or cooperate with federal agencies. According to Comeaux, Dallas officers are required to assist federal agencies when asked, but such cooperation has not been requested.
City police departments may have that choice, but thanks to the passage of Senate Bill 8, county sheriff departments will be required by law to enter into agreements with ICE beginning in 2026. The new law mandates that sheriffs in counties operating jails or contracting with jail vendors will be required to dedicate local resources to new immigration enforcement duties, even without guaranteed additional state funding. Failure to comply can result in legal action by the Attorney General.