![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_5698.jpg\")
Statement from D7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua Office on Mayor Eric Johnson\u2019s support of ICE 287g program. Photo Credit: A. Bazaldua<\/p>\nThis week, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson pushed forward a proposal that could have devastating, long-term consequences for communities across our city \u2014 especially our immigrant and Black and Brown residents.<\/p>\n
In a memo to city council committees, Johnson urged a full public review of a $25 million offer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which would enroll the Dallas Police Department in the controversial 287(g) program. Under this federal initiative, local police officers are trained and deputized as immigration agents, empowered to enforce immigration laws in the field through ICE\u2019s Task Force model. While the mayor frames this as a win for public safety and fiscal efficiency, the reality is far more insidious \u2014 and rooted in a political loyalty that does not reflect the values of the majority of Dallas residents or its elected representatives.<\/p>\n
Council Members Respond: \u201cThis Undermines Public Trust<\/p>\n
Just minutes ago, Council Members Adam Bazaldua (District 7), Chad West, Jaime Resendez, and Paula Blackmon issued a joint statement publicly rebuking Mayor Johnson\u2019s push for ICE collaboration. \u201cWe remain concerned with the practices being deployed by ICE agents through federal directives,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 287(g) program would turn local law enforcement into an arm of federal immigration enforcement and could result in a betrayal of trust between the Dallas Police Department and the very communities they are sworn to protect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Statement from D7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua Office on Mayor Eric Johnson\u2019s support of ICE 287g program. Photo Credit: A. Bazaldua<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_5699.jpg\")
Statement from D7 Councilman Adam Bazaldua Office on Mayor Eric Johnson\u2019s support of ICE 287g program. Photo Credit: A. Bazaldua<\/p>\n
Their position is clear: Dallas should not become a staging ground for the same ICE tactics that have sparked fear, trauma, and civil rights violations in cities like Chicago, Houston, and Austin.<\/p>\n
ICE\u2019s 287(g): A Force Multiplier for Harm<\/p>\n
ICE\u2019s Task Force model doesn\u2019t just operate behind bars \u2014 it operates in the streets. It allows police officers to question, detain, and transfer individuals to ICE based on perceived immigration status, with little oversight or accountability. And it gives political cover to local leaders \u2014 like Governor Abbott \u2014 to continue using migrants as pawns in a culture war.<\/p>\n
Mayor Johnson\u2019s Partisan Alignment is Clear<\/p>\n
Once again, Mayor Johnson \u2014 who changed his party affiliation to Republican in 2023 \u2014 is advancing a right-wing immigration agenda under the guise of fiscal responsibility. He is doing so without the support of his own City Council, without community input, and despite clear precedent from other major cities rejecting this exact program.<\/p>\n
This is not leadership \u2014 this is ideological obedience.<\/p>\n
Rather than stand with the immigrant communities who help build this city \u2014 through our schools, our businesses, our culture, our labor \u2014 the mayor is choosing to align with a federal agency known for racial profiling, unlawful detainment, and community intimidation.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s Happening Elsewhere? Let\u2019s Learn from It.<\/p>\n
In Chicago, ICE agents are already under scrutiny for unlawful detainments, while Texas law enforcement \u2014 dispatched by Abbott \u2014 are chasing migrants across state lines.<\/p>\n
In Houston, data shows that ICE\u2019s 287(g) involvement has led to detentions for minor traffic violations and exacerbated racial profiling. Local officials in Harris County have spoken out, citing broken trust and legal overreach.<\/p>\n
The backlash is loud, bipartisan, and growing \u2014 everywhere except in Mayor Johnson\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Dallas Must Take a Stand \u2014 Now<\/p>\n
This is a defining moment for Dallas. As the Council Members\u2019 statement eloquently puts it:<\/p>\n
\u201cSafer communities are built through trust and connection. DPD participating in this program would certainly undermine progress made.\u201d<\/p>\n
We cannot afford to walk backward into a policy that threatens the lives and dignity of so many of our neighbors.<\/p>\n
Mayor Johnson\u2019s request is expected to trigger a joint committee meeting where ICE representatives and Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux would brief council members on the 287(g) Task Force Model and the $25 million federal offer. Council members will then be tasked with evaluating whether the program would yield financial or public safety benefits without compromising community trust.<\/p>\n
As the discussion moves forward, the divide between the mayor\u2019s position and that of several council members\u2014who have publicly questioned the alignment of the program with Dallas values\u2014reflects a broader debate unfolding in cities across the country. The outcome could shape the future of local law enforcement\u2019s role in federal immigration enforcement and impact how Dallas defines its approach to public safety and civil rights.<\/p>\n
\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson pushed forward a proposal that could have devastating, long-term consequences for communities…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11480,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[9917,2945,9918,102,104,103,4081,9294,4195,56,4554,9919,5305,9920,9921],"class_list":{"0":"post-11479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-brandon-johnson","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-council-member-adam-bazaldua","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-headlines","13":"tag-dallas-news","14":"tag-dallas-police-department","15":"tag-daniel-comeaux","16":"tag-governor-abbott","17":"tag-houston","18":"tag-ice-cream","19":"tag-immigrant-communities","20":"tag-mayor-eric-johnson","21":"tag-mayor-johnson-chicago","22":"tag-st-marys-ice-warrant-program-287g"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}