Dallas Police Refuses to Join ICE Immigration Raids, Launches Outreach Meetings with Migrants Instead

The Dallas Police Department (DPD) has announced that it will not participate in immigration enforcement actions led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), opting instead to hold community outreach meetings to reassure immigrant residents.

The meetings began on Wednesday and will feature the city's Office of Community Police Oversight and faith-based community groups. Organized by the department's Latino Community Outreach Program called UNIDOS, officers are scheduled to address misinformation and rumors circulating about immigration policies that may be discouraging people from seeking help when needed.

Interim Police Chief Michael Igo emphasized that the department's role remains focused on crime prevention and public safety, not immigration enforcement, as Fox News reports:

"The Dallas Police Department is not assisting any federal agency on detaining people that are either documented or undocumented in the city of Dallas. I need you guys to continue to call the police, to not be afraid to come out of your homes to go to work, to send our kids to school"

Igo also reiterated the message on his X account, accompanied by a series of images taken at Wednesday's event:

Lt. Eddie Reyes, involved with the aforementioned UNIDOS, highlighted the challenge of maintaining trust amid heightened immigration enforcement to NBC's affiliate in Dallas:

"It takes us so long to build that trust. And for something like this to come – we feel that this could possibly set us back. But we're doing everything that we can"

Concerns about underreporting of crime have been a driving factor in the outreach initiative. "There's a lot of false information on social media about the Dallas Police Department working directly with ICE and others. That's not true," Reyes stated. "Our priority is to go out there and respond to crimes."

Despite the welcoming nature of the event, Igo did acknowledge that individuals with active criminal warrants remain subject to arrest and possible deportation. "If somebody did commit a crime a long time ago and there's still a warrant for that person, there's a very good chance they may be taken for that," he said.

Additional outreach events are scheduled across Dallas, with efforts extending to neighboring communities like Irving. There, the Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is coordinating informational sessions with police, legal experts, and consular officials from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and El Salvador to provide legal guidance and support. The chamber is also offering remote participation for those hesitant to attend in person.