The Dallas Community Police Oversight Board wants the Dallas Police Department to start turning over routine, monthly reports on any on-the-ground interactions between city officers and federal immigration agents, after videos surfaced showing local police near ICE operations. Board chair John Mark Davidson says the push is about restoring transparency and easing community anxiety as deportation activity climbs across North Texas.
The request came in a memo Davidson sent to Chief Daniel Comeaux. He asked for monthly logs of ICE-related encounters, including why officers got involved, what they did on scene, and how each incident ended, along with a briefing on training and guidance for immigration-related situations, according to The Dallas Morning News. In the memo, Davidson wrote that the materials “have generated significant community concern regarding the scope of DPD’s role,” and he set a response deadline of the close of business on Feb. 2. Allison Hudson, a police spokesperson, declined to comment and said the department would not comment until it had responded to the board.
Videos Prompted The Request
Board members say the move was triggered by videos circulating online that appeared to show Dallas officers working alongside ICE agents, which residents and advocates argue undercuts trust in neighborhoods where people already fear calling the police. KERA News reported that activists flagged a Pleasant Grove clip and that the oversight office has received an official complaint tied to the footage.
Chief Says Officers Mostly Hold Perimeters
Chief Daniel Comeaux has told the oversight board that Dallas officers have little interaction with ICE and that, when they do respond, it is usually to secure a perimeter rather than carry out immigration enforcement. NBC DFW reported that Comeaux said he rejected what he described as a roughly $25 million proposal to join the federal 287(g) program, arguing such a partnership would pull officers off neighborhood patrols and hurt 911 response times.
Deportation Spike Intensifies Scrutiny
The board’s demand for more detail comes as deportation arrests in the Dallas ICE area of responsibility have jumped sharply. The Dallas Morning News found agents arrested about 12,100 people from Jan. 20 to Oct. 16, 2025, a 108% increase from the same period a year earlier. The analysis also showed a bigger share of those arrested did not have criminal convictions, a trend advocates say only heightens concern when local police are spotted near federal immigration actions.
Board Authority And What Comes Next
The Community Police Oversight Board is appointed by the City Council and can request information, accept complaints, and recommend changes to departmental procedures, according to the city’s board materials. City of Dallas documents say the board’s mission includes promoting transparency and advising on training and policy, powers the chair cited when asking for monthly reporting.
State Law And The Limits Of Local Power
State lawmakers have raised the pressure with a separate move at the county level. Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8, which requires many county sheriffs who operate jails to enter 287(g) agreements with ICE, the governor’s office noted. The statute applies to sheriff’s offices and jails rather than municipal police departments, a legal distinction that shapes what both the oversight board and city leaders can demand from Dallas PD…