13-year-old cancer survivor honored by Trump to be deputized by East Texas law enforcement agencies

Published 5:35 am Wednesday, April 2, 2025

A 13-year-old boy with cancer honored by President Donald Trump during his recent address to Congress will be deputized this month as a law enforcement officer in East Texas.

Devarjaye “D.J.” Daniel, who was made an honorary agent of the U.S. Secret Service during the president’s March 4 address, will be sworn in as an honorary officer by more than a dozen regional law enforcement agencies during at least two ceremonies.

On April 4, the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office will welcome Devarjaye to Canton as a “special agent” during a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. at the Van Zandt County Justice Center, 1220 W. Dallas St. in Canton, officials announced.

A few weeks later, on April 30, Devarjaye will be deputized in White Oak as an officer with the White Oak, Gladewater, Longview, Kilgore and Lakeport police departments as well as the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office. He’ll also be sworn in as a White Oak municipal judge and a White Oak volunteer firefighter. Additional agencies could sign up to participate as well.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the White Oak ISD Auditorium, 200 S. White Oak Road. That’s where the boy who wants to fight crime and cancer will meet a fellow law enforcement officer who is battling the same enemies: White Oak Police Chief Terry Roach, who is retiring in April amid his own cancer battle.

Devarjaye, who lives near Houston, was diagnosed with a rare form of brain and spinal cancer in 2018 and was given five months to live. But that was six years ago. Since then, he has had multiple surgeries and has set out to live his dream of becoming a police officer, according to the U.S. Secret Service. Devarjaye frequently visits law enforcement agencies and has been deputized by almost 900 of them.

Since the boy was diagnosed, he and his father, Theodis, “have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump said during his speech.

“The police love him. The police departments love him,” Trump said.

Devarjaye’s cancer has been attributed to a chemical he was exposed to during his youth, Trump said. The president highlighted his case amid his administration’s push to remove chemicals from food, an effort headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

White Oak Municipal Judge Dana Mizell coordinated the White Oak event after watching Trump’s address. Perhaps the most special aspect of the event to her is that Roach will administer the oaths of office to Devarjaye.

“What would be cooler than that for the both of them, both fighting cancer, and this little boy wants to be deputized to as many police departments as he can?” Mizell said.

Roach will administer one oath of office for Devarjaye that will deputize him with all the participating agencies, Mizell said. Mizell’s husband, who is a woodworker, is crafting a key to the city of White Oak that Mayor Kyle Kutch will present to the boy.

“We’re gonna do it up right,” Mizell said.

The Canton and White Oak events are open to the public.

For more information, contact Mizell at mizelld@woisd.com.