Dallas updated its police immigration policy after state officials warned that the city could lose roughly $32.1 million in public safety grants.
The dispute also raised questions about Dallas’ access to any portion of $55.1 million in FIFA World Cup public safety funding allocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the warning came in an April 16, 2026, letter from Andrew Friedrichs, executive director of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Public Safety Office, to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
DPD updated the policy on April 23, the deadline state officials gave Dallas to address the issue.
DPD Updates Immigration Order
The Dallas Police Department updated General Order 315.04 on April 23, 2026.
The revised order states that officers may ask about immigration status after a lawful detention or arrest. It also states that officers may cooperate with federal immigration officers, provide enforcement assistance when reasonable or necessary, and share immigration-status information with ICE or other law enforcement agencies.
“Our officers will follow the law, and our updated policy will affirm that we will cooperate with federal authorities when required,” Dallas Police Chief Daniel C. Comeaux said in a statement.
Comeaux said DPD still will not stop people only to determine immigration status.
“Victims and witnesses should continue to feel safe to report crime,” Comeaux said.
City Responds To State
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert sent Dallas’ response to Friedrichs on April 23, 2026.
Tolbert wrote that DPD reviewed General Order 315.04 and “has revised certain provisions in the general order to further clarify DPD’s continued compliance with state law regarding immigration enforcement.”
The city’s response says the updated order clarifies three points.
DPD officers may ask about immigration status when a person has been lawfully detained or arrested. Officers may cooperate with federal agencies or federal immigration officers when reasonable or necessary. Officers may also share immigration-status information with federal authorities.
The revised order also states that DPD personnel “will cooperate with all lawful requests for assistance from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”
Limits Remain In Place
DPD kept limits on street-level immigration enforcement.
The updated order says officers “will not stop or contact any person for the sole purpose of determining immigration status.”
The order also limits immigration-status questions involving victims, witnesses, or people reporting crimes. Officers may ask those questions only when needed to investigate an offense, provide information about federal visas for people assisting law enforcement, or when officers have probable cause that the person committed a separate criminal offense.
Comeaux said DPD’s role remains focused on public safety.
“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.”
The updated order also addresses arrests. It says any arrested person taken to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center “may be evaluated by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office to determine if the person is subject to an immigration detainer request issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
“General Order 315.04 aligns with state law while continuing effective policing, building and maintaining the community’s trust, and retaining officer discretion that is clearly defined within legal parameters,” Tolbert wrote.
