It’s been over a year since Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson began telling everyone who would listen — except the local media — about his decision to leave the Democratic party. He gave a short, snappy speech this summer at the Republican National Convention; granted Texas Monthly a rare interview that revealed little despite coming in at 4,000 words; and, as of this week, appeared on Fox News’ digital and broadcast channels to share his message about the liberal policies ruining our country.
Like a young woman fresh off a breakup who healed her heartbreak with a dramatic hair makeover, Johnson seems desperately insistent that Republicans have more fun.
The mayor published an opinion piece on the Fox News website on Monday that rehashed many of his regular talking points about why he chose to leave the Dems: Defunding the police is bad, the Biden Administration’s border policy is causing “disorder,” yadda yadda. The article’s title claims that Johnson’s desertion of the party “should have been a wake-up call for Democrats.”
The opinion piece itself isn’t all that interesting, but our attention was caught by Johnson’s Wednesday morning appearance on the Fox Business Network show Varney & Co. The show is hosted by Stuart Varney, whose posh British accent is undeniably charming. As Johnson’s interview began, Varney referred to the mayor as “your honor,” which seems like the kind of thing Johnson would enjoy tremendously.
In just over three minutes of mid-morning airtime, Johnson paints himself as the “canary in the coal mine” of Democratic Party dissatisfaction, alludes to local "controversy" surrounding his party switch and French kisses the ring of President-elect Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump won more African American votes than any Republican candidate in 48 years,” Johnson said. “In my lifetime we’ve never seen a performance like that by a Republican.”
The mood switches in the final 45 seconds of the interview, as the show’s chyron changes to read “Dallas Mayor on Migrant Crisis.” When Varney asks Johnson how Dallas is handling immigrants living in the country illegally, Johnson begins by saying that undocumented Dallas residents are causing a strain on the city’s resources.
“People ask ‘How is [immigration] impacting crime,’ and obviously there is a certain amount of crime that is committed by folks that are here illegally,” Johnson says before he is interrupted by Varney.
“Will you deport them? Will you deport them?” the British anchor asks twice.
“Of course,” Johnson says. “Of course we’d support that. Of course we’d stand by President Donald Trump in an effort to get rid of people in our country illegally who have violent criminal records.”
Unlike the usual yadda yadda of Johnson’s written opinion piece, this stance on deportation is a new one. The Observer asked the Mayor’s office whether Johnson believes that the city is experiencing a migrant crisis and whether he has been involved in discussions or plans regarding Dallas’ role in President-elect Trump’s promised mass deportations. We did not get a response.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who chairs the city council’s Public Safety Committee, told the Observer that she “is not aware of any deportation initiatives or activities in the city.”
We’d also like Johnson to clarify his statement that Dallas would support deportations of violent individuals, specifically. Trump’s deportation agenda does not stipulate that only migrants with violent records will be deported. The president-elect has pledged to carry out the largest deportation effort that the United States has ever seen, no matter the cost. Tom Homan, an immigration hardliner whom Trump has appointed border czar, told 60 Minutes that entire families could be deported under the administration’s plans. Is Johnson standing by that?
What's more, the National Institute of Justice released a report earlier this year that analyzed six years of Texas criminal records and found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of citizens for violent and drug crimes. We would be interested to hear from Johnson about what percentage of Dallas’ crime is actually committed by those individuals living in the country illegally.
In response to Johnson's TV appearance, Dallas’ Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam Bazaldua told the Observer that he believes Johnson’s rhetoric amounts to "fear-mongering" and is inconsistent with Dallas’ actual crime data.
“To say that there is a ‘certain amount’ of crime being committed by undocumented immigrants is completely vague and could apply to any group of individuals regardless of race or immigration status,” Bazaldua said. “Our data continually shows that violent crime is down in our city — a fact that Mayor Johnson backed up at the Republican National Convention.”
Bazaldua added that the “misleading” and “harmful” rhetoric surrounding illegal immigration is part of the reason he sponsored a City Council resolution earlier this year that condemned S.B.4, a state law that criminalizes the illegal crossing of the southern border and gives local police forces enforcement jurisdiction. Johnson was one of three council members who voted against the resolution.
Council member Chad West, who voted in favor of Bazaldua’s resolution, told the Observer that crime enforcement should be carried out “regardless of citizenship status,” but that he does not agree that Dallas’ resources should be used for a federal mass deportation program that “indiscriminately targets all immigrants.”
“It would unfairly target too many of my constituents, the majority of whom just want a chance to earn a good life for their families and came here for the American Dream,” West said.
Several Dallas media outlets have speculated that Johnson might be angling for a seat in Trump’s cabinet. Singing the man's praises on Fox News has proven to be a productive strategy, although we are skeptical the president-elect is tuned into daytime programming. D Magazine’s Tim Rogers is putting money on Johnson to clinch the secretary of the Interior position.
Some city council members seem to agree that Johnson’s eye may be on bigger, redder horizons.
“Didn’t watch it,” council member Paula Blackmon told the Observer of Johnson’s television appearance. “He is obviously looking to head to D.C. I'm just trying to do the work I was elected to do here in Dallas.”
