In the wake of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens still residing in Texas, two Dallas City Council Committees held a meeting to discuss whether the local police would be able to join the federal government in enforcing immigration laws or reject the help.
In October, Dallas PD Chief Daniel Comeaux said that he turned down $25 million from the Trump-Vance Administration to have the local police join the 287(g) program. The program is named after Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The new immigration program was issued by President Donald Trump in January 2025 and allows ICE officers to partner with “local law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the U.S.” Under the 287(g) program, the federal government would assist departments by providing $100,000 for new vehicles, reimbursing salary and benefits for trained TFOs, and providing overtime funds up to 25 percent of salary, which would significantly alleviate the funding problem for the Dallas PD.
Currently, Dallas PD has a staffing shortage, resulting in longer wait times for people in need of help. Along with the staffing shortages, the city’s budget is not enough to pay officers, making the city ranked 12th among other area departments, with a starting pay of over $81,000.
However, the program helping with the Dallas PD funding issue isn’t the only problem. Currently, in Texas, there are estimated to be around 1.6 million illegal aliens residing in the state. In 2023, there were an estimated 319,000 illegal aliens living in Dallas alone, most of whom came from Mexico and other hostile countries like Honduras and El Salvador. In fact, according to ICE statistics, there were 1,409 illegal aliens arrested on criminal convictions in Dallas during Fiscal Year 2025.
After it was revealed that Comeaux refused the federal government’s offer, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was displeased with his decision, saying in a memo that the “City Council should be briefed on all the relevant information that went into Chief Comeaux’s decision in a public meeting and with an opportunity for input from residents.”
Since the memo, the Public Safety committee, which is chaired by Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn of District 12, and the Government Efficiency committee, chaired by Councilmember Maxie Johnson of District 4, held the meeting on Thursday to discuss the proposal. However, the joint committee rejected the proposal, saying they would not support a partisan and political agenda.
“We’re not gonna support racism, we’re not gonna take money cause all money ain’t good money, and we’re gonna support our chief of police,” Council member Maxie Johnson said during the meeting.
In response to federal agents attending the meeting to discuss the 287(g) program, one committee member raised his concerns, saying that the program has been problematic for the entire country.
“So if you have no interpretation of our Constitution, I don’t know how you’re supposed to sit here and sell us to a program that has wreaked havoc across our country and has violated people’s Constitution on an everyday basis,” the committee member said.
However, while the committee and council members claim the program has “wreaked havoc” across the country. There have been multiple instances in Dallas alone, where criminal illegal aliens have perpetuated violent crimes on its citizens.
In September, ICE carried out an operation on a business that was suspected of human trafficking and unlawful employment at the Chicas Bonitas Cabaret. During the investigation, 41 illegal aliens were arrested, including 29 who were suspected of illegally working at the club.
Additionally, on the Texas DPS website for the top ten most wanted criminal illegal aliens, Marvin Ernesto Castaneda is listed. His last known address is in Dallas, and he is wanted for sexual assault of a child.
ICE officers are also at an 8,000 percent increase in death threats and violent attacks, with one illegal alien in Dallas, Texas, who offered $10,000 bounties, per agent, to murder them. He was thankfully arrested in early October.
While the program consideration has been halted for now, the question still remains. Why aren’t Dallas City Council members and the chief of police trying to protect their citizens from criminal illegal aliens?