In a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday, Dallas city leaders said they have revised a police department policy to clarify cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The April 23 letter, signed by City Manager Kimberly Tolbert, states the city “has revised certain provisions” of Dal las Police Department General Order 315.04 to clarify compliance with state law. The city said the updated policy “reaffirms and clarifies” that officers are not prohibited from asking about immigration status for individuals who are lawfully detained or arrested, cooperating with and assisting federal immigration officers as reasonable or necessary or sharing immigration status information with federal authorities. The response follows an April 16 letter from Abbott’s office raising concerns that Dallas police policies limited cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said the department will comply with the law while maintaining its public safety mission. “Our officers will follow the law, and our updated policy will affirm that we will cooperate with federal authorities when required,” Comeaux said. “Moreover, our mission has not changed, and DPD exists to protect the safety of everyone in Dallas, and we will not stop individuals only to determine their immigration status. Victims and witnesses should continue to feel safe to report crime.” He added that the department’s role remains unchanged. “I have been clear from day one that we are not immigration enforcement and that has not changed: our role is public safety,” Comeaux said. “However, we have the responsibility to operate fully within the law and ensure compliance with our legal requirements.” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said public safety remains the city’s top priority. “As Mayor of Dallas, public safety is my highest priority, and I agree with Governor Abbott that federal immigration enforcement plays a role in keeping our city safe,” Johnson said. “I appreciate Chief Comeaux’s ensuring the Dallas Police Department’s internal policies reflect its longstanding practice of cooperating with all of our state and federal law enforcement partners, including those that enforce our nation’s immigration laws.” The revised General Order 315.04 removes language that previously prohibited officers from prolonging a detention to investigate immigration status or to hold someone for federal authorities. Under the prior policy, officers were required to release individuals once the purpose of a stop was complete, even if immigration questions remained. Officers could share information with federal authorities, but only if doing so did not extend the detention. The updated policy now states that officers “will cooperate with all lawful requests for assistance” from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and clarifies that officers are not prohibited from assisting federal immigration officers. It maintains that officers may ask about immigration status for individuals who are lawfully detained or arrested, but are not required to do so. The policy also continues to prohibit stopping someone solely to determine immigration status and bans consideration of race, color, religion, language or national origin in those decisions. In the letter, the city said the policy aligns with state law while allowing officers to maintain discretion, continue effective policing and build community trust. Abbott previously said the city was awarded about $32.1 million in Public Safety Office grants for fiscal year 2026 and warned that if those grants are terminated, the city could be required to repay the full amount within 30 days. He also said maintaining General Order 315.04 could jeopardize an additional $22 million in public safety funding tied to the FIFA World Cup in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In November, Comeaux told the Dallas City Council he declined a proposed 287(g) partnership with ICE, citing concerns about response times and public trust. DALLAS LEADERS RESPOND TO GOV. GREG ABBOTT DALLAS PD REVISES POLICE POLICY This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less