Fort Worth police officer's message to immigrants goes viral
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth police officer is in hot water after posting an unauthorized video message about illegal immigration that wasn't approved by the Fort Worth mayor or the police chief.
Officer Daniel Segura posted a video message on his Facebook page Wednesday morning to calm the Hispanic community's fears about President Donald Trump's executive orders and discussions over banning 'sanctuary cities.' The video message went viral, already surpassing a million views.
"If you are the victim of a crime, we don't care about your immigration status. You have the same rights as anyone else who lives in Fort Worth," Segura said in the video. "We are going to defend you. We are going to protect you."
But during the nearly six-minute video, there was a part of it that got the longtime liaison to the Hispanic community and department spokesperson in trouble.
"In the City of Fort Worth for many, many years, we have not enforced immigration laws. We are not federal officials that can enforce federal immigration laws. I want to make that very, very clear," he said. "We, in Fort Worth, do not execute or enforce laws on immigration so that people that live in Fort Worth do not have the fear that we can possibly deport them. That is not true."
Segura's video message prompted his department to issue a response saying, "The Fort Worth Police Department enforces all laws and protects all its citizens and is not a sanctuary city. The video was not intended to represent the views of the City of Fort Worth on immigration or compliance with immigration policies"
In the video, Segura also addressed recent news reports of sanctuary cities. His title for the video was "Calm, my friends."
Immigration attorney Francisco Hernandez says there is growing concern among Hispanics about President Trump's executive order targeting sanctuary cities, the recent crackdown by Governor Greg Abbott and proposed legislation in Austin.
"People know him he's a good man. My goodness, let's get a hundred like him," Hernandez said.
As for Segura's video, Hernandez says it's something the department and the city should applaud.
"And we're gonna take action against this guy that's trying to help people? That knows his people? I mean we're gonna go against him?" Hernandez said.
Segura later commented on his video to clarify that the city of Fort Worth is not a sanctuary city, echoing the department's comment.
The department said Segura will not be facing any disciplinary measures for his unauthorized video. He declined to comment on camera.