The Dallas Community Police Oversight Board sent a letter Monday morning asking for Chief of Police Daniel Comeaux's stance on immigration amid increased deportations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The letter, approved in an 11-4 vote by the board Friday, also asks for clarification on the department's involvement in deportations.
“We respectfully request a more detailed explanation of your position on DPD's collaboration with federal immigration authorities,” the letter states. “Specifically, we want to understand how your leadership navigates the complex balance between compliance with federal mandates and responsiveness to the local community's well-being. Articulating your overarching vision and approach to leadership in these circumstances would be particularly valuable in helping the Board fulfill its mandate.”
It comes after comments Comeaux made in a Fox News interview last week, vowing DPD would help federal immigration authorities.
"We're always going to be there to help our federal partners," he said. "If there's a federal agency that's doing an operation and they need our assistance, we'll be there to help them — as long as they're doing it by the law and doing it with respect."
Comeaux later walked those comments back. During a meeting with members from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) on Thursday, he said the remarks were taken out of context.
He also clarified the department's policy on immigration in an interview with WFAA, saying his message about letting federal agencies handle someone without citizenship status was meant for those with felony warrants, adding that the department would continue to assist federal partners.
Dallas is one of many cities reckoning with increased immigration enforcement and deportations in their communities. Demonstrators across the country are protesting mass deportations by the Trump Administration. Over the weekend, the National Guard was deployed in Los Angeles in response to these anti-deportation protests.
The Dallas oversight board previously approved a different letter on May 13 requesting Comeaux's stance on immigration and deportations. Board members said his response was vague, so they prepared a second letter asking for a more detailed explanation.
Comeaux did not have a response to the latest oversight board letter but plans to attend the next oversight board meeting on Tuesday, where the board plans to discuss the letter and any response.
There was push back from some board members on the timing of the letter, since Comeaux assumed his position less than two months ago. But during Friday's special called meeting board member Jonathan Maples said Comeaux's response was important because public trust is "eroding."
Maples conducts a monthly food drive and said although students are out of school for the summer, the drive has seen about a 40% drop in people coming to pick up groceries because they're afraid.
"We got to get this right, the police chief's got to get this right," Maples said. "It's no rhyme or reason that we can give anybody to say, 'Oh, well, you know what, we were just afraid, or we didn't feel like we should ask that because he's the police chief.'"
Board member Tim Jackson was one of the four board members to vote against the letter. He said he wanted the city attorney's help in conveying what message they want to send to Comeaux.
"Because the chief doesn't owe us an explanation, and we don't have any authority over any decisions that he makes," Jackson said.
But board member Changa Higgins disagreed.
"I think it's our job to make sure that we are asking the questions that nobody else is going to ask in this city," Higgins said. "That's what part of being oversight is about."
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