It’s been almost a month since Daniel Comeaux was sworn in as the brand new chief of police in Dallas, TX, the place he takes a distinct strategy to immigration enforcement than his predecessor and dealing to align with the state’s sanctuary insurance policies.
“We’re gonna do what’s proper. We’re all the time gonna be there to assist our federal companions,” Comeaux instructed Fox Information Digital throughout an interview.
“If there’s a federal company that’s doing an operation, and so they want our help, we’ll be there to assist them, so long as they’re doing what’s by the legislation, and so they’re doing it with respect and the correct means, DPD will probably be there to help,” he continued.
Comeaux additionally has the help of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who stated throughout a earlier interview with Fox Information that he would help efforts by President Donald Trump to deport undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes.
“In fact, we’d help that,” Johnson stated in the course of the interview. “In fact, we’d stand by President Trump in an effort to do away with individuals in our nation illegally who’ve violent legal information or who commit violent legal acts right here.”
Texas has taken a tough stance in opposition to unlawful immigration, notably in the course of the Biden administration. The state deployed authorities to its border with Mexico and took on a marketing campaign of busing migrants to Democrat-run cities to deliver consideration to the circulate of unlawful immigrants into the US.
Johnson, who has served as Dallas’ mayor since 2019, made headlines in 2023 when he introduced he was switching from the Democrat get together to the Republican, explaining his determination in a Wall Avenue Journal op-ed, “American cities want Republicans.”
Dallas, one of many high 10 largest cities within the US, noticed a big lower in crime after Johnson took workplace in 2019.
In response to the Related Press, Dallas is the biggest metropolis within the US to be led by a GOP mayor.
Johnson instructed Fox Information Digital in 2021 he attributed that success to a few issues — a robust police chief, having “a funds that displays public security being your metropolis’s high precedence” and making certain there’s “neighborhood buy-in” for crime discount.
“Mayor Johnson has made public security his high precedence in Dallas, and town has now achieved a outstanding four-consecutive years of violent crime discount,” the mayor’s workplace instructed Fox Information Digital.
“The mayor helps President Trump’s agenda for making America protected once more and believes cooperating with federal legislation enforcement to cease violent criminals — notably unlawful immigrants who don’t have any proper to be in our metropolis or in our nation — helps maintain Dallas protected.”
Whereas Johnson made his place clear on immigration enforcement, his stance differed from former DPD Interim Chief Michael Igo, who beforehand stated his division wouldn’t flip in or report anybody within the nation illegally who calls 911 for assist.
“The Dallas Police Division just isn’t aiding any federal company on detaining individuals which might be both documented or undocumented within the metropolis of Dallas,” Igo beforehand stated to attendees at Familia Bethel Internacional church in Dallas, in keeping with CBS Information.
Igo additionally instructed the parishioners that federal immigration officers stated no arrests or raids can be carried out in church buildings, colleges or hospitals, though he did say that unlawful immigrants with excellent warrants had been susceptible to deportation.
Comeaux, who additionally has a distinct tackle the problems than his predecessor, stated whereas he wouldn’t essentially name it aligning with President Donald Trump’s agenda, he stated his division would “do what’s proper by legislation enforcement.”
“If we are available in contact with anybody that doesn’t have standing, we’ll name the right federal company and allow them to deal with it,” Comeaux stated. “We’re not initiating any investigations. We’re not initiating any packages. So everybody ought to be happy to go along with their enterprise as regular.”
Comeaux reiterated that if any of theirfederal companions wanted help in any means, they might be there to help.
Comeaux, who has been on the federal aspect of legislation enforcement for the previous few a long time, most lately served because the particular agent in control of the DEA area workplace in Houston.
He stated one in all his greatest focuses is working to get felons off the streets.
“Anybody that has a felony warrant, at any second, know that we may very well be those knocking at your door. It won’t be the mailman knocking at your door, it is perhaps us. So you probably have a felony warrant, we are attempting to get you off the streets,” Comeaux warned.
“We’ll get you to the required court docket that it is advisable to be in. However we’re very aggressive in getting anybody off the road that has felony warrants. We’ll maintain everyone protected right here in Dallas,” he continued.
Comeaux added that one other characteristic town has in place to guard the general public is a digicam system.
“One beauty of Dallas is we have now so many digicam methods in place. We see what’s occurring throughout town and everybody wants to know that and know that in case you’re on this space, in case you commit crimes in Dallas, it’s very probably that we’re seeing you, we’re watching you, and we’re coming to get you,” he vowed.
Comeaux additionally issued a warning to anybody seeking to deliver violence to town or break the legislation to suppose once more.
“Not on this metropolis. I’ve been against the law fighter, I’ve been a protector for my total profession, ever since I used to be 21 years outdated,” he stated. “Decide one other metropolis. Don’t come to Dallas, you’re not welcome.”
When requested what motivated Comeaux to depart the DEA’s workplace and get again into policing, he mirrored on an incident when he began his profession as a Houston police officer at 21.
“I’ll always remember these moments once I was working the streets, and I used to be capable of actually make a distinction. I used to be unable to assist an aged particular person someday and that has actually caught with me for my total legislation enforcement profession,” the chief shared.
“And I all the time knew I needed to circle again to native legislation enforcement and I needed it to be in a metropolis that may actually be influential all through all the United States and Dallas was a type of.”
Fox Information Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Louis Casiano, and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
