The Dallas Police Department should work with federal authorities to carry out lawful arrests, when it’s appropriate, with other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But a partnership under the federal 287(g) program is a bridge too far.
Last week, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux told members of the city’s Community Police Oversight Board that he had turned down a $25 million offer from the federal government to enter into a partnership that would have allowed some local officers to participate in federal immigration enforcement, our newsroom reported.
Mayor Eric Johnson apparently didn’t agree and asked council members to meet with ICE to consider the benefits of the partnership. Comeaux’s caution is right for our city at this time.
The 287(g) task force model empowers local officers to question and arrest people in the community on suspicion of being in the country illegally. It would allow officers to “identify and report suspected aliens not charged with crimes,” according to ICE. Participating officers would have to complete a four-week training course with ICE and would be subject to federal oversight.
Opinion
There’s nothing wrong with local law enforcement looking into a person’s immigration status if they’ve been legally detained or arrested, and they’re already allowed to do that. What we don’t need is a situation where Dallas police question people about their immigration status absent suspicion of other crimes. To be clear, we do believe that those suspected of or charged with crimes should have their immigration status checked and be reported to immigration authorities. But the 287 (g) program goes well beyond that in what it expects of local law enforcement.
The program has led to complaints about racial profiling. And we are deeply concerned about a recent Supreme Court ruling that concludes race or ethnicity can be a factor that leads to questioning.
Dallas police officers do work with federal authorities. For example, DPD set up a perimeter around a Dallas adult entertainment club during a Homeland Security raid that involved ICE officers, this newspaper reported. The raid ended in 41 arrests. This sort of partnership is necessary for the safety of law enforcement and our communities.
Yes, there would be a financial benefit to 287(g) participation. The Department of Homeland Security announced in September that it would fully reimburse agencies for participating officers’ annual salary and benefits. DHS is also doling out bonus money based on how many undocumented immigrants agencies locate.
This partnership would be something Dallas might consider if DPD’s current enforcement work were enough to fulfill the requirements. But 287 (g) appears to demand that police engage in everyday immigration enforcement that should not be the purview of local law enforcement.
And we worry that, under the current administration, racial profiling and improper detention of citizens is more likely. Those things have already happened across the country. One thing is clear: Our Dallas police officers should not be a part of that.