By Everton Bailey Jr.
Dallas Morning News
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
Johnson says Dallas will ‘stand by’ President-elect Donald Trump in his deportation efforts.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says the city will help President-elect Donald Trump deport undocumented migrants accused of violent crimes.
During an interview Wednesday on Fox News, Johnson also suggested there needed to be stricter security at the U.S.-Mexico border. The mayor made the comments after being asked how Dallas was addressing migrants in the city and if he would deport them.
“Of course, we’d support that,” Johnson said during the three-minute segment. “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. But even more than that, people need to understand it’s a strain on our school system, it’s a strain on our hospital system, there are hidden costs to having a porous, open border, and we need to shut that down.”
Johnson’s office didn’t respond Friday to requests for comment following up on if there have been any city discussions about the role Dallas would play in the president-elect’s deportation plans.The Dallas Police Department declined to comment, referring questions to the city’s communications department.
When asked if city officials have had discussions, city spokesman Nick Starling said, “Because that statement was made by Mayor Johnson, please reach out to his office directly.”
As Dallas mayor, Johnson doesn’t have the power to unilaterally direct police or city policy related to undocumented immigrants. The mayor and the city’s 14 district council members have equal voting power on policy decisions, which typically require majority approval to pass.
The Dallas City Council passed a resolution in June condemning a delayed state law that would allow police to arrest people suspected of illegally entering Texas from Mexico.
Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4 late last year. It was supposed to go into effect in March, but lawsuits from the U.S. Justice Department and others arguing that it violates the Constitution led to a federal appeals court injunction temporarily blocking the law from being enforced. Opponents have called it discriminatory against Latinos and migrants, while supporters have called it vital for border security.
Johnson was one of three members of the City Council to vote against the local resolution, which is non-binding. The mayor never gave the public an explanation for his “no” vote.
Trump promised a record amount ofmass deportations of undocumented immigrants once he is inaugurated in January. He posted on Truth Social on Nov. 18 confirming he is considering declaring a national emergency to secure military aid in the deportation efforts.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham sent a letter to Trump on Tuesday offering a 1,400-acre state-owned ranch on the southern border to help the administration in carrying out deportation plans.
Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said he thought it was shocking the mayor of Dallas would publicly support “Trump’s xenophobic policies.” He noted the incoming Los Angeles police chief recently vowed the department wouldn’t assist in mass deportations and Denver’s mayor and Illinois’ governor said their jurisdictions wouldn’t cooperate with the president-elect’s plans.
“Dallas is a majority Latino city, and there are a large number of Latino families that are mixed, where some members are undocumented, and some are not,” said Garcia, a former Dallas City Council member and former state representative. “Mass deportations and threats to divide families are just un-Christian and no way to treat people at the bottom rung of society.
“You have multiple billionaires complaining that the poorest people are the problem, and it’s just a big lie,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, looks like the mayor of Dallas bought into that big lie.”
Though Johnson was specific in his language about who would be targeted, Trump and some of his picks for cabinet positions have been broader.
Tom Homan, Trump’s nominee to be border czar overseeing the country’s deportation enforcement, told conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk on Nov. 12 “entry into this country illegally is a crime; every illegal alien in this country committed a crime to get here, so they’re all criminals.”
“Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime,” said Homan, a former Border Patrol agent and former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We’re going to enforce the law without apologies, and the day Donald Trump takes that oath, we’re in a ‘go mode.’ And if any government wants to stand in the way, go ahead and do it. We’ll see what happens.”
Johnson has been Dallas mayor since 2019 and spent about 10 years before that in the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat. Johnson declared himself Republican in September 2023, four months after he was reelected to his second and final term as mayor, a nonpartisan role. The move was widely speculated as a precursor to Johnson seeking a more prominent position under the GOP banner.
Johnson announced earlier this year he voted for Trump and was committed to “retiring Joe Biden.” He spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, endorsing the now president-elect and criticizing the Democratic Party as not being tough enough on crime. The Dallas mayor was at Trump’s victory party in Florida on election night.
Johnson was interviewed on Fox News on Wednesday about an opinion piece published earlier in the week where he wrote the Democratic Party should have seen his party declaration switch as “a wake-up call.”
“(Trump) has shown that he cares about solving problems in urban America, and as president, his policies will help lead a revival of our country’s great cities, making them safe and prosperous again,” Johnson wrote. “And through the new administration, working-class individuals will again feel at home in America’s cities — and in the Republican Party. I know I do.”
| This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas. |
