Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday warned Dallas that he would pull $32.1 million in state funds if the city does not repeal police department rules around collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n
In a letter to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Andrew Friedrichs, the executive director of Abbott\u2019s Public Safety Office, said the Dallas Police Department\u2019s internal rules regarding immigration may violate the city\u2019s agreement with the state for the funding.<\/p>\n
The threat to Dallas is part of a broader push<\/a> by Abbott to force major cities<\/a> into closer alignment with federal immigration enforcement. The governor issued similar warnings this week to Houston and Austin for their respective immigration-related policies.<\/p>\n Dallas police’s general orders \u2014 the department\u2019s internal rules that guide officer conduct \u2014 may also \u201cimperil\u201d the city\u2019s ability to receive more than $50 million in federal funds to help cover public-safety costs tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Friedrichs wrote in the letter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA city\u2019s failure to comply with its contract agreement with the state to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws makes the state less safe,” Andrew Mahaleris, an Abbott spokesperson, said in a statement to The Dallas Morning News. “It can have deadly consequences. Cities in Texas are expected to make the streets safer, not more deadly.”<\/p>\n Dallas police spokespeople did not immediately comment Thursday afternoon on the letter, nor did a spokesperson for Johnson\u2019s office.<\/p>\n The letter sets a deadline of April 23 to \u201cconfirm that the City will not enforce, and will act to repeal\u201d the general orders on immigration. Failure to do so would see the city repaying the funds it has already received.<\/p>\n The department\u2019s general orders on immigration outline that officers are not to act as front-line immigration enforcers during routine policing, barring them, for example, from stopping or contacting any person for the \u201csole purpose of determining immigration status.\u201d<\/p>\n The orders also state that officers \u201cmay not prolong\u201d a person’s detention to investigate their immigration status or to hold them for federal authorities.<\/p>\n