The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office is currently under investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its alleged noncompliance with a recently enacted state law concerning cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
At the heart of the inquiry is Senate Bill 8, which mandates that local sheriff’s departments actively engage with ICE operations within their jurisdictions. This includes a requirement for sheriffs to pursue 287(g) agreements, which empower local law enforcement to inquire about the immigration status of inmates and execute ICE warrants.
Attorney General Paxton has accused Sheriff Marian Brown of not seeking the necessary agreement. In a letter addressed to Sheriff Brown, he emphasized that her office had publicly stated it would not make any further attempts to establish such an agreement. “I will not allow the people of Dallas County to suffer because the Sheriff refuses to work with ICE to keep violent illegals off our streets,” Paxton asserted. He further noted his commitment to ensuring compliance with the law and assisting ICE as mandated.
In response, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement clarifying that the Texas Legislature has set a compliance deadline of December 1, 2026, for the new law, not June 1, 2026, as Paxton implied. Sheriff Brown emphasized that the county already maintains an active partnership with ICE and engages in operational coordination that aligns closely with the jail-enforcement model outlined in Chapter 753. “My comments reflected my position that Dallas County already engages in cooperation with federal authorities and does not view duplicative administrative measures as necessary to achieve the public safety objectives underlying the statute,” she stated.
Meanwhile, in Tarrant County, local commissioners recently approved a partnership between the county sheriff’s department and ICE, despite significant public opposition. Critics have raised concerns regarding the erosion of community trust and the potential unconstitutionality of the state mandate. This partnership will also come with a $140,000 grant to support expenses related to managing inmates with illegal immigration status.
Supporters of the partnership, including Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, defended the decision, arguing that the funding should be embraced as a necessary measure in light of the state mandate. “Some of you will say, ‘I hate ICE. I’m against ICE or whatever.’ And you have that right to do that. But at the end of the day, what this does is protect every single community, regardless of neighbor status, socioeconomic status,” he proclaimed.
