The recent sniper attack on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas has intensified calls for stronger cooperation between local and federal authorities as threats against immigration officers rise.
With the incident underscoring the growing risks ICE agents face, Keller Mayor Armin Mizani, a Republican candidate for Texas House District 98, is urging North Texas cities to join ICE through the federal 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to collaborate with federal immigration officers in identifying and detaining criminal illegal aliens.
“Our ICE agents are under siege simply for doing their jobs,” Mizani said in a release. “A 1,000% increase in assaults is outrageous. ICE operations are under constant threat of violence, and it’s our duty to stand behind these men and women. We must protect ICE, their mission, and the individuals in federal custody from violence.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Keller became the largest Texas city to formally enter the 287(g) program earlier this year. That report noted that assaults on ICE officers had already spiked significantly since President Donald Trump returned to office.
Mizani recently highlighted the city’s partnership in a campaign ad, underscoring its role in his public safety platform.
Armin Mizani’s latest advertisement promoting Keller’s partnership with ICE through the 287(g) program
“As mayor, I was proud to lead Keller in becoming the largest city in Texas to formally partner with ICE through the 287(g) program,” Mizani continued. “Texans have a fundamental right to know that individuals who are in this country unlawfully and pose a danger to our communities will not be released back into our neighborhoods.”
While leaders like Mizani call for broader adoption of 287(g) in North Texas, other voices have expressed strong opposition.
Earlier this month, Naureen Shah of ACLU’s National Political Advocacy Division, said the program “to turn local police and sheriff’s departments into arms of its deportation machine … is likely to grow even more nefarious as ICE leeches on to local police to help it.”
With attacks such as the recent shooting in Dallas, calls for reevaluating the role of local authorities in federal immigration enforcement have intensified.