Major US city led by GOP mayor, new top cop bucks sanctuary trend to ‘do what’s right’

It’s been nearly a month since Daniel Comeaux was sworn in as the new chief of police in Dallas, TX, where he is taking a different approach to immigration enforcement than his predecessor and working to align with the state’s sanctuary policies. 

“We’re gonna do what’s right. We’re always gonna be there to help our federal partners,” Comeaux told Fox News Digital during an interview. 

“If there’s a federal agency that’s doing an operation, and they need our assistance, we’ll be there to help them, as long as they’re doing what’s by the law, and they’re doing it with respect and the right way, DPD will be there to assist,” he continued.

Comeaux also has the support of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, who said during a previous interview with Fox News that he would support efforts by President Donald Trumpd to deport undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes.

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“Of course, we’d support that,” Johnson said during the interview. “Of course, we’d stand by President Trump in an effort to get rid of people in our country illegally who have violent criminal records or who commit violent criminal acts here.”

Texas has taken a hard stance against illegal immigration, particularly during the Biden administration. The state deployed authorities to its border with Mexico and took on a campaign of bussing migrants to Democrat-run cities to bring attention to the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. 

Johnson, who has served as Dallas’ mayor since 2019, made headlines in 2023 when he announced he was switching from the Democrat party to the Republican, explaining his decision in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, “American cities need Republicans.” 

Dallas, one of the top 10 largest cities in the U.S., saw a significant decrease in crime after Johnson took office in 2019.

According to the Associated Press, Dallas is the largest city in the U.S. to be led by a GOP mayor. 

Johnson told Fox News Digital in 2021 he attributed that success to three things — a strong police chief, having “a budget that reflects public safety being your city’s top priority” and ensuring there’s “community buy-in” for crime reduction. 

“Mayor Johnson has made public safety his top priority in Dallas, and the city has now achieved a remarkable four-consecutive years of violent crime reduction,” the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital.

“The mayor supports President Trump’s agenda for making America safe again and believes cooperating with federal law enforcement to stop violent criminals — particularly illegal immigrants who have no right to be in our city or in our country — helps keep Dallas safe.”

While Johnson made his position clear on immigration enforcement, his stance differed from former DPD Interim Chief Michael Igo, who previously said his department would not turn in or report anyone in the country illegally who calls 911 for help.

“The Dallas Police Department is not assisting any federal agency on detaining people that are either documented or undocumented in the city of Dallas,” Igo previously said to attendees at Familia Bethel Internacional church in Dallas, according to CBS News.

Igo also told the parishioners that federal immigration officials said no arrests or raids would be carried out in churches, schools or hospitals, although he did say that illegal immigrants with outstanding warrants were at risk of deportation. 

Comeaux, who also has a different take on the issues than his predecessor, said while he wouldn’t necessarily call it aligning with President Donald Trump’s agenda, he said his department would “do what’s right by law enforcement.” 

“If we come in contact with anyone that doesn’t have status, we will call the proper federal agency and let them handle it,” Comeaux said. “We’re not initiating any investigations. We’re not initiating any programs. So everyone should feel free to go with their business as normal.”

Comeaux reiterated that if any of their federal partners needed assistance in any way, they would be there to assist. 

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Comeaux, who has been on the federal side of law enforcement for the past few decades, most recently served as the special agent in charge of the DEA field office in Houston.

He said one of his biggest focuses is working to get felons off the streets.

“Anyone that has a felony warrant, at any moment, know that we could be the ones knocking at your door. It might not be the mailman knocking at your door, it might be us. So if you have a felony warrant, we are trying to get you off the streets,” Comeaux warned.

“We’ll get you to the necessary court that you need to be in. But we’re very aggressive in getting anyone off the street that has felony warrants. We’ll keep everybody safe here in Dallas,” he continued.

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Comeaux added that another feature the city has in place to protect the public is a camera system. 

“One great thing about Dallas is we have so many camera systems in place. We see what’s happening across the city and everyone needs to understand that and know that if you’re in this area, if you commit crimes in Dallas, it’s very likely that we’re seeing you, we’re watching you, and we’re coming to get you,” he vowed. 

Comeaux also issued a warning to anyone looking to bring violence to the city or break the law to think again.

“Not in this city. I’ve been a crime fighter, I’ve been a protector for my entire career, ever since I was 21 years old,” he said. “Pick another city. Don’t come to Dallas, you’re not welcome.” 

When asked what motivated Comeaux to leave the DEA’s office and get back into policing, he reflected on an incident when he started his career as a Houston police officer at 21.

“I’ll never forget those moments when I was working the streets, and I was able to really make a difference. I was unable to help an elderly person one day and that has really stuck with me for my entire law enforcement career,” the chief shared. “And I always knew I wanted to circle back to local law enforcement and I wanted it to be in a city that can really be influential throughout the entire United States and Dallas was one of those.”

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Louis Casiano, and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.