Dallas Police chief Daniel Comeaux said he'll make "tweaks" to his department's immigration policy after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull nearly $90 million in state funding.
That includes more than $55 million in security funding for the FIFA World Cup — which is less than two months away — and more than $32 million in public safety grants.
Comeaux told WFAA in an interview Wednesday city police will not become immigration officers, but the public can expect changes.
"There are going to be some tweaks in the general orders so we can line up with the state," Comeaux said.
General Order 315.04 outlines how Dallas police can handle immigration. Abbott sent a letter to Mayor Eric Johnson last week saying the order violates a certification City Manager Kimberly Tolbert agreed to last year as a condition to receive a $32 million public safety grant.
Abbott took issue with parts of the order that make it voluntary for police to ask someone about immigration status or inform ICE about that status.
He also targeted the part of the order that prevents Dallas officers from detaining someone longer to investigate the person's immigration status or contact ICE. Under the order, an officer is required to release someone after they've been processed for the initial reason they were stopped.
At a press conference Wednesday, Texas Rep. Venton Jones, D-Dallas, defended General Order 315.04.
"The governor is characterizing DPD's local policy as interference with immigration enforcement, but that characterization is false," Jones said. "General Order 315.04 is a common-sense measure that provides clear guidance on stops, detentions and arrests. It does not violate state law. It does not prohibit cooperation with federal authorities. But what it does do is that it protects constitutional rights."
Abbott wrote in a late night post to X that cities agreed to collaborate with ICE last year when they agreed to the funding contract.
"After they got the money, the cities refused to comply with the contract terms," Abbott wrote. "Those terms include a requirement that the cities repay the state all the money they got if they don't comply with the contract."
The city has until Thursday to confirm whether or not it will comply. Allison Hudson, a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department, said a response to Abbott's letter will be released some time Thursday.
KERA will update this article with any additional details from that response.
Abbott has sent similar funding threats to Austin and Houston.
In a post on X directed toward Houston officials, Abbott said not collaborating with ICE is deadly.
"City Council must choose- vote for their citizens, or the criminals who kill them," Abbott wrote.
An analysis by KERA of data released by the Deportation Data Project this month showed the Dallas ICE Field Office arrested more people without a criminal history than those with convictions or charges from September to February — the last full month of data.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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