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 of mass 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.”

Previously we broke down the offense for this week’s upcoming game for the Dallas Cowboys. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how the defensive positions and special teams stack up against each other.

DEFENSIVE LINE

What more can we say about this defensive line we haven’t already complained about this season? The sad fact is this Dallas defensive line has allowed more rushing touchdowns than any other team in the NFL, and only the Carolina Panthers have allowed more rushing yards. No matter how much people tell you this is a passing league, the easiest way to control and win a game is to dominate in the ground game. Every week we see the opposition running at will against Dallas and that makes for a long day as a Cowboys fan. Last week, Joe Mixon was the latest to enjoy the freedom and averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns. Now that same defensive line is facing an offense that ranks sixth in rushing yards and leads the league in rushing touchdowns.

The Dallas Cowboys rank last in rushing touchdowns and that will suit Dan Quinn and his defensive line perfectly. Their defensive line is giving up a lot of yards on the ground and ranks right behind Dallas, but they are allowing a lot fewer rushing touchdowns than Dallas. In what we expect in the typical Dan Quinn system, it leaks a lot on the ground but makes up for it in sacks, pressures and reducing passing yards. The Washington Commanders have notched 29 sacks this year, that’s the fifth-most, and the player leading the team in sacks is none other than Dante Fowler Jr. He now has 8.5 sacks which is third-most in the league and his 10 tackles for loss is fourth-most. Another ex-Cowboy defensive linemen ranks behind Fowler for the Commanders in sacks, Dorance Armstrong, and that just adds more salt to the wound. Both Jonathan Allen and Javontae Jean-Baptiste will miss this game and have been moved to injured reserve.
Win: Commanders

LINEBACKER

This could be a place where the Cowboys match up well against the Commanders thanks to the efforts of DeMarvion Overshown and Eric Kendricks. Among linebackers in the league, Kendricks ranks in the top-ten in tackles with 87, and Overshown is proving to be quite the Swiss Army knife out there utilizing his speed and acceleration on every down.

Why this isn’t a cut-clear win for Dallas at linebacker this week is the Commanders have two productive linebackers on their roster. Frankie Luvu is second on the team in sacks with seven, and the other linebacker is the great Bobby Wagner. He may not be the Wagner of years past, but he’s still a great tackler and still possesses high-level instincts to find the ball carrier.

Conclusion:
The Commanders linebackers have more sacks but the Cowboys group have more tackles. To break the tie is missed tackles, where Dallas has more.
Win: Commanders

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Seeing this defensive back unit try and operate without DaRon Bland is a tough watch. Caelen Carson was left out last week and in his place stepped Josh Butler. He made one very good pass breakup but also gave up some big plays. Malik Hooker getting an interception was a good moment and although he’s been up and down this year. Markquese Bell left last week’s game early with a shoulder injury, he’s now being shutdown for the season. Jourdan Lewis missed last week so keep an eye on his status this week. And, of course, keep an eye on the situation with DaRon Bland that as he edges closer to starting.

The Commanders defensive backs enjoy the fact the defensive line is getting so much pressure up front. Although they are allowing very few passing yards, that factor is two-fold. One is due to the fact the defensive front is doing well creating pressure, but the other fact is due to teams finding it easier to run on them than passing. The team has few interceptions and has allowed more receiving touchdowns than Dallas. For everything the Commanders defense does well in the passing game, the passer rating allowed in comparison to Dallas is negligible. Jeremy Chinn is tackling everything that comes his way but the biggest threat in the secondary is the recently-acquired Marshon Lattimore. He could make his debut with the team this week.

Conclusion:
This would be much easier to deduce if Bland was in the mix here. Without him we have to give the nod to Washington based on the fact they are keeping the yards extremely low.
Win: Commanders

SPECIAL TEAMS

Is there anything more Dallas this year than watching Brandon Aubrey looking to take a long field goal attempt, for a foul to go in Dallas’ favor, and then for that drive to end in zero points scored. Aubrey is fourth in field goals made and his 89% accuracy rating ranks 12th among starting kickers.

Austin Seibert has made two more field goals than Aubrey and has a 92% accuracy rating. Where these two kickers differ is in field goals of 50+ yards where they are miles apart. Aubrey has made ten field goals at long distance and has a 91% accuracy, Siebert has made one from three attempts.

KaVontae Turpin ranks second in kickoff return and punt return average, he also has a punt return for a touchdown.

Olamide Zaccheaus averages 10.9 yards per punt return, that ranks 19th, and Austin Ekler ranks sixth in kickoff return yards.
Win: Cowboys

In 2013, Mayor Mike Rawling shepherded into existence “the 50th,” the first-ever city-sponsored Nov. 22 event held in Dealey Plaza. Finally, Dallas citizens had a civically sanctioned event that allowed them permission to publicly honor a fallen president. At the time, Rawlings discreetly sidestepped the most controversial of the issues attached to the assassination: Who actually killed John Kennedy?

Today in Dallas, more than six decades after the fact, it is important that we finally and unapologetically address that issue: There was no great conspiracy. Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he killed the president. Jack Ruby acted alone when he shot Oswald. The Warren Commission got it right. It is well past time for this historical reckoning, and it is particularly important that it be pronounced here.

In Dallas, we’ve borne an immense historical burden because of our conspiracy-mongering past. In the aftermath of the assassination, the whole city became a pariah, its citizens treated like accomplices to the murder. We were labeled “the City of Hate,” and it took us decades to recover from the toxic fallout.

A month before Kennedy’s visit, Time magazine had already labeled Dallas “A City Disgraced.” This followed the ugly incident at Adlai Stevenson’s Dallas appearance and recalled the embarrassing 1960 “Mink Coat Mob” incident, where Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson were jostled and spat upon.

By 1963, Dallas had proved itself, in the eyes of the rest of America, as a hotbed of virulent Red Scare paranoia that could not tolerate civil debate. Kennedy’s advisers warned him not to visit Dallas because of the likelihood of violence. Kennedy himself explained to his staff as he made his final approach to Dallas: “We’re heading into nut country today.”

When he left Dallas, he was in a coffin, and the script for our ostracization had already been written.

Nut Country

Today, our entire nation is in danger of becoming “Nut Country.” Those 1963 events in Dallas have become the origin point of a newer, more infectious strain of conspiracy paranoia.

Today our contemporary culture has become so mired in conspiracy thinking that our ability to confront the greatest challenges of our age is threatened. The World Health Organization has called it an “infodemic.” A study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2020 found that at least 800 people may have died due to coronavirus-related misinformation during the first three months of 2020. We are less prepared to respond to the next pandemic, climate change or the misinformation that plagues our elections than ever before. All of this, to a large extent, because of the brain-fog produced by conspiracy beliefs.

Conspiracy narratives are attractive; they help simplify a mystifying world. Take a few established facts, weave them into a comprehensive narrative — taking whatever leaps of logic and dismissing any inconvenient counter evidence necessary — and there you have it: a complex situation reduced to a simple parable.

Jim Marrs provides a good illustration of this process. The former Fort Worth journalist’s 1993 book, Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy, became a “go-to” conspiracy guide. As he sold more books, he expanded his focus, eventually concocting an entire conspiracy universe, involving the Trilateral Commission, Freemasons, the pyramids of Giza and space aliens.

Marrs’ big career break occurred when he linked up with Oliver Stone for the 1991 film JFK. As Stone transformed Dealey Plaza into a huge stage set for his grand conspiracy spectacle, he and Marrs used New Orleans prosecutor Jim Garrison’s 1967 Clay Shaw conspiracy case as their template for demonstrating a massive government JFK cover-up.

The actual Shaw case was dismissed by the jury in less than an hour, and Garrison’s lack of supporting evidence was considered a great embarrassment by even conspiracy buffs. Hugh Aynesworth wrote in Newsweek: “If only no one were living through it — and standing trial for it — the case against Shaw would be a merry kind of parody of conspiracy theories, a can-you-top-this of arbitrarily conjoined improbabilities.”

Nonetheless, Stone’s film was a Hollywood blockbuster. If the big JFK assassination conspiracy did not exist in fact, Stone and Marrs had ensured its existence in Hollywood myth.

Mainstream conspiracies

Three decades after the assassination, JFK conspiracy theorizing had gone mainstream. With the advent of the internet in the 1990s, the world of conspiracy speculation was supercharged. As a new generation of hyperconnected conspiracist thinkers was figuring out new ways to spread and monetize their work, the Kennedy conspiracy fable became the template for an amazingly versatile, all-purpose conspiracy system available for any ideology. It became a powerful and influential American myth.

Of course, conspiracies do exist. At any one time there are a number of significant conspiracy cases winding their way through our legal system. Prominent past cases include business fraud against Enron, a number of criminal cases brought against organized crime groups, and the conspiracy charges brought against the accomplices of John Wilkes Booth in the death of Abraham Lincoln. Even with rigorous demands of veracity and rules of evidence, it is possible to prove actual conspiracy in our legal system.

On the other hand, it is also possible to disprove bogus conspiracy accusations. Garrison’s case against Clay Shaw is a case in point. As are the scores of cases alleging the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Conspiracy theories, because they rely on missing information, do not often survive the scrutiny of the legal process.

Today, the court of public opinion is often divorced from systems of fact-checking. Our conspiracy theories bounce around in a super-heated media environment where there are fewer guardrails against misinformation than anytime in the past, and fewer procedures for validating evidence.

JFK researchers have performed a thoroughgoing critique of every aspect of the Warren Commission Report, but they have never disproved its basic assertions. You can watch the Zapruder film 1,000 times and each time it shows the results of the shots fired by Lee Havey Oswald from this sixth-floor perch. You can muck around in the gruesome photographic documentation of Kennedy’s autopsy and the same is true. We don’t need to exhume Oswald’s body from the grave again. It is well past time to end this macabre game-playing. Enough of “what could have happened”; it is time to reckon with what did.

There is no nefarious secret government that controls our lives. We live in a very messy democracy that is often difficult to understand. The true danger of conspiracy theories is that they inevitably manufacture an evil “other,” a secret cabal of adversaries intent on doing harm. This scapegoating often strips political or ideological opponents of their humanity, reducing them to villains rather than fellow citizens whom we might engage in dialogue.

Today, despite so much that unites us as Americans, we are a dangerously divided nation. Conspiracy thinking has contributed to this.

We do indeed live in an age when skepticism is a vital survival tool, but conspiracy thinking turns rational skepticism on its head, replacing facts with dangerous misinformation. President Kennedy did not die as the result of a conspiracy. His death was a tragedy, and that requires a deeper type of wisdom to fathom.

City of Truth

It is time to recognize the price this city has paid for its nurturing of conspiracy thinking and clearly pronounce: the JFK conspiracy theorists have utterly failed to make their case. After all this time, there is not a single JFK conspiracy theory that offers enough evidence to warrant serious consideration.

What history does show is that misplaced doubt about Kennedy’s death has contributed to the ever-expanding plague of conspiracy thinking that currently confounds our democracy.

Today, Dealey Plaza remains a mecca for conspiracy tourism. Each year it is the pilgrimage point for the Nov. 22 JFK Remembrance. Last year’s event was typical.

As 12:30 approached, the exact moment Kennedy was shot, one of the last speakers stepped to the podium. Judyth Vary Baker, who proclaims herself Oswald’s secret lover, recounted Oswald’s aborted mission to deliver a bioweapon to kill Fidel Castro and how Oswald was actually trying to save the president. It was also important, she said, to remember the government has a proven cure for cancer but is withholding it from the public to ensure higher profits for the medical industry.

Among the 200 or so attendees milled a newer generation of conspiracy thinkers. Many of these QAnon adherents wore distinctive T-shirts featuring images of John Kennedy, his son John, and Donald Trump, illustrating their theory that the two Kennedys would soon be resurrected to aid Trump in his battle with his political enemies who commonly kidnap children and feast on their blood.

At the JFK vigil, there was a striking divergence of views, but everyone was united in their conviction that our democracy has been stolen.

I suggest that on the 61st anniversary of the assassination, we find a better message. We can take up President Kennedy’s challenge to do something for our country and commence the hard work of taking care of the truth. We can take a huge stride toward reclaiming our democracy and the common ground of civil discourse by swearing off our growing addiction to conspiracy thinking.

Tim Cloward is author of “The City That Killed the President: A Cultural History of Dallas and the Assassination.”

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