TX AG To Investigate Dallas Police Over 'Sanctuary City Policies'

AUSTIN, TX — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into the city of Dallas, claiming the Dallas Police Department may be refusing to comply with state and federal immigration laws and requesting related records.

Paxton cited a statement from Dallas Interim Police Chief Michael Igo, who said, '[t]he Dallas Police Department is not assisting any federal agency in detaining people, whether documented or undocumented, in the City of Dallas.'

Paxton's office claims that this assertion "raises serious concerns" that the city of Dallas and its police department may be violating Texas law, "which prohibits local entities from adopting sanctuary city policies that limit immigration enforcement."

The attorney general has formally requested all policies, training materials, and communications related to Dallas’s enforcement or non-enforcement of immigration laws, including any records reflecting decisions to decline cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

"The law is not optional. Local governments do not have the authority to disregard state and federal immigration laws," Paxton said in a news release.

"The people of Texas expect law enforcement agencies to uphold public safety, not to implement sanctuary policies that put our communities at risk. My office will take all necessary legal actions to ensure compliance with state law and hold accountable any local entity that defies its legal obligations."

Read the letter here.

Editor's note: Patch has reached out to Dallas Police for comment.