Dallas Bows to Another Abbott Threat, Revises Policies for DPD, ICE Relationship

More funding threats from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has resulted in Dallas making changes to accommodate the governor’s demands yet again. On Thursday, the Dallas Police Department revised its immigration enforcement policies after Abbott sent a letter to the city saying he would possibly withhold $32 million in public-safety funding, city officials confirmed. 

On April 16, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson received Abbott’s letter, threatening $32.1 million in state funding if the city did not repeal its rules involving the DPD’s role in immigration enforcement efforts. Also, $50 million in federal funds meant to aid public safety efforts during the FIFA World Cup were brought into question. 

Similar to Abbott’s actions toward Houston and Austin, the notice accused Dallas officials of making the city less safe through its internal policing policies, primarily the one that stated a DPD officer may not stop or detain a person for the sole purpose of immigration enforcement. 

In a letter to Abbott, Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizar Tolbert detailed that the revised guidelines lifts the ban on officers prolonging detention to further investigate someone’s immigration status or to hold them for federal authorities. DPD officers can also now ask people who are detained or arrested about their immigration status, but the policy still does not require officers to do so. Additionally, local officers can work with federal immigration authorities and share the immigration-status of detainees. 

These policy changes come just weeks after the city moved forward with removing decorative crosswalks that highlighted the LGBTQ community and the Black Lives Matter movement following Abbott’s 2025 demand that cities remove such crosswalks or risk losing federal transportation and roadway funds. 

Some Dallas elected officials spoke out against Abbott’s threats at a Wednesday press conference, when state Rep. Rafael Anchia aimed his remarks directly at the governor.

“First thing I want to say is something directly to Gov. Greg Abbott: stop playing politics with the public safety of the people of Dallas,” Anchía said. “Also, stop threatening to defund our police, and that is really the main message here today.”

Although county sheriff’s departments that operate a jail must cooperate with ICE according to a new Texas law, individual city police departments are still not required to do so by law. In October, police Chief Daniel Comeaux announced that he had turned down $25 million to take part in the federal 287(g) program, which would’ve involved the DPD cooperating more fully with ICE to arrest, detain, process and deport people. 

On Thursday, Comeaux kept his comments brief when addressing the impact of the policy changes on his officers.

“Our officers will follow the law, and our updated policy will affirm that we will cooperate with federal authorities when required,” he said.