The State of Texas is warning the City of Dallas that it could lose roughly $32.1 million in public safety grants — and risk its share of another $55.1 million for FIFA World Cup security — because the City is not following its signed agreement on immigration enforcement.
In a letter dated April 16, 2026, Andrew Friedrichs, executive director of Governor Greg Abbott’s Public Safety Office, informed Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson that Dallas Police Department rules appear to conflict with a promise the City of Dallas made in April 2025. That promise was required to receive state grant money.
The State says Dallas police policies are limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which violates the agreement.
As a result, Texas officials say they may cut off the $32.1 million in grants for the current year. The City could also be forced to repay any money it has already received if grants are terminated. In addition, the dispute could put Dallas’ $55.1 million share of security funding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Dallas-Fort Worth area at risk.
Abbott’s Press Secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, told The Dallas Express, “A city’s failure to comply with its contract agreement with the state to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws makes the state less safe. It can have deadly consequences. Cities in Texas are expected to make the streets safer, not more deadly.”
According to Friedrichs, Dallas is “awarded roughly $32.1 million in PSO grants in Fiscal Year 2026,” and the City could be required to return those funds within 30 days of termination.
The director further warned that the policy dispute could affect broader funding tied to international security preparations, writing that the Dallas policy “may also imperil the City’s ability to receive any of the $55.1 million in FIFA Page 2 World Cup public safety funding separately allocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.”
At issue is a Dallas Police Department general order that the state says allows officers to refuse to cooperate with certain ICE requests, including declining to detain individuals based on civil immigration detainers or limiting notification to federal authorities. State officials argue that such provisions conflict with the City’s certification that it would fully participate in U.S. Department of Homeland Security programs, including notifying federal officials of requested custody information and honoring detainer requests.
The certification, signed by both City Manager Kim Tolbert and Police Chief Daniel Comeaux, states the City “participate[s] fully” in DHS procedures related to individuals in police custody and affirms that Dallas has no policies that would “limit or impede” cooperation with federal immigration enforcement processes tied to detainers and custody notifications.
The State is giving Dallas until April 23, 2026, to fix the problem by changing or removing the conflicting police policies.
Dallas city leaders have not yet publicly responded to the letter. Neither Dallas City Manager Kim Tolbert nor Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson returned The Dallas Express’ request for comment.
This is similar to a recent dispute in Houston, where the State threatened to withhold about $110 million in public safety funding over the same issue. Houston officials have said the policy changes were intended to limit the use of civil immigration warrants in routine policing. At the same time, state leaders have argued the measures undermine cooperation with federal authorities, per Houston Public Media.