Fort Worth Police Officer's Video Soothing Undocumented Residents' Fears Garners 1.5M Views

FORT WORTH, TX — A public service announcement of sorts by a Fort Worth police officer assuring undocumented residents they're not in danger of being swept up by mass deportations has made the rounds on social media with more than 1.5 million views and 32,000 shares on Facebook.

"In the city of Fort Worth, for many years, we have not enforced immigration laws because we are not federal officers who execute or exercise immigration laws," Daniel Segura said in a six-minute video made inside his patrol car. The message is entirely in Spanish, designed to allay fears among residents they could be deported amid Donald Trump's heightened calls for immigration rules enforcement.

Police across the country are mixed as it relates to aggressive enforcement of immigration laws at the local level. Many in law enforcement eschew forceful compliance given its corrosive effect on community policing and public trust given the tendency among undocumented residents to report crimes in their communities for fear of having their status discovered.

In uniform while waiting for a news reporter to interview him for a story, Segura sought to soothe fears, titling his video calma, amigos (calmness, friends).

"The City of Fort Worth doesn't depend 100 percent on federal money to exercise or execute federal laws," Segura explained, detailing a half-cent sales tax from which police department funding is derived. "Each year, on average, the city of Fort Worth receives between $65 million to $85 million only for this crime prevention program. This is why we are not obligated to enforce immigration laws."

Segura joins other law enforcement officials preferring a more nuanced approach to enforcing immigration laws that focuses on deportations of hardened criminals rather than across-the-board deportations for all undocumented residents. In Travis County, Sheriff Sally Hernandez has garnered national headlines for such an approach despite the vigorous opposition of Gov. Greg Abbott who followed up on an earlier threat to block grants to various county programs as a result of what he views as a softened stance on immigration.

In San Antonio, Police Chief William McManus also has sought to assuage fears of undocumented residents by conveying that a crackdown by his force isn't something that will occur.

Law enforcement officials have had to address such fears given strident moves by Trump, Abbott and other conservative lawmakers calling for a crackdown on so-called "sanctuary cities" viewed as bring protective of the undocumented. In his recent "state of the state" address, Abbott said he would makes the elimination of sanctuary cities an "emergency item."

Comments below Segura's video reflect overwhelming approval by viewers. But city officials were compelled to issue a statement in the way of clarification noting all laws — local, state and federal — are followed.

“The video is not intended to represent the views of the City of Fort Worth on immigration or compliance with immigration policies," city officials said in a prepared statement. In essence, Segura is speaking only for himself and not for the city, officials suggested.

Despite the municipal disclaimer, Segura's video has helped soothe the anxiety of a community now living further in the shadows given heightened talk of immigration crackdowns.

"If you are a victim of a crime, we don’t care about your immigration status," Segura said. "You have the same rights as anyone else who lives in Fort Worth. We are going to defend you. We are going to protect you,”

>>> Image via Shutterstock