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Abbott Threatens Dallas, Pressures Houston Over Police Limits on ICE Cooperation

The funding ultimatum tests how far Texas can use state grants to force city policing policies on immigration.

Overview

  • Abbott's office, in an April 16 letter, gave Dallas until April 23 to repeal police directives or risk losing about $32.1 million in state public safety grants.
  • The state says Dallas police rules bar officers from prolonging stops to check immigration status or holding people for ICE, which it argues conflicts with a 2025 DHS cooperation pledge.
  • The letter warns that keeping the Dallas policy could also jeopardize about $55.1 million tied to security for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
  • Houston's mayor postponed a City Council vote to April 22 on rolling back an ordinance that limits cooperation with ICE after the governor threatened to cancel $110 million in grants.
  • Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Houston, saying the ordinance violates SB4, a 2017 state law that forbids city policies that curb immigration enforcement.