Texas Attorney-General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into Dallas’s sanctuary city policy that protects illegal immigrants.
Paxton, who announced his investigation on Thursday, also made a formal request to the city of Dallas and the Dallas Police Department for records pertaining to the refusal by the department to adhere to state and federal immigration law.
The law cannot be ignored. Paxton stated in a press release that local governments are not allowed to ignore state or federal laws on immigration. The people of Texas expect law enforcement to protect public safety and not implement policies that put their communities in danger.
He added, “My office would take any legal action necessary to enforce compliance with the state laws and make local entities accountable for not adhering to their legal obligations.”
Paxton’s office requested that all documents, policies, and training materials related to Dallas’s enforcement of immigration laws or lack thereof, as well as any communications reflecting decisions not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, be provided to him.
Michael Igo of the Dallas Interim Police Department, whom he cited as saying that “his agency is not helping any federal agency in detaining people who are documented ” or those without documentation within Dallas.
Paxton stated that Chief Paxton’s comments “raise grave concerns” about the possibility that both the police and city are violating Texas Law, which prohibits local agencies from adopting sanctuary policies that limit immigration enforcement.
The city of Dallas issued a press release saying, “We will review the letter we received from the Texas Attorney General’s Office at the right time.”
Texas has taken a hard stance against illegal immigration, particularly during the Biden administration. The state deployed authorities to its border with Mexico and took on a campaign of bussing migrants to Democratic-run cities to bring attention to the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S.
