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As Trump threatens ‘sanctuary cities,’ Michigan officials ask: Who, us?

Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the PPG Paints Arena on November 04, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump is moving quickly to ramp up deportation efforts and threatening action against communities that don’t comply. It may take longer to define a ‘sanctuary city.’ (Photo via Phatooo/Shutterstock)
  • President Donald Trump has threatened to pull federal funds or even prosecute officials in ‘sanctuary’ communities
  • There’s no legal definition for what a sanctuary city is, and most in Michigan cooperate with federal law enforcement
  • Legal fights over mass deportations are likely to escalate in coming months

Kalamazoo County Administrator Kevin Catlin is perplexed over why his community is often listed as a “sanctuary” for immigrants. 

He suggests checking with the city of Kalamazoo, which he heard calls itself a sanctuary city. But the city says it’s nothing of the sort.

It’s the same story in Ingham County and Lansing. Detroit says it isn’t a sanctuary city either.

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Just what is a sanctuary city or county matters more this week, after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold funds from cities and counties, and his administration threatened to prosecute local officials who do not cooperate with stepped-up federal deportation efforts.

It’s unclear to Michigan communities what exactly might put them in harm’s way. And lists of sanctuary communities mistakenly count some Michigan cities or counties. In other cases, communities have done nothing more than pass proclamations declaring themselves to be “immigrant friendly.”

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The uncertain impact in Michigan is an example of how murky, error-filled and litigation-heavy federal actions against local communities could be, as Trump tries to fulfill a campaign pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants across the nation.

Michigan communities that passed resolutions saying they are “welcoming communities” could get caught up in the wake of the new federal push, even if they are currently cooperating with requests from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly called ICE.

“I do think that is a possibility” the US Department of Justice could target a community based on a “sanctuary city” Google search, said Ingham County Administrator Gregg Todd. “But with the exceptional work from our congressional delegation, we could quash that pretty quickly.”

The newly elected president said in a Fox interview Wednesday that his administration “might have to” cut funding to sanctuary cities. "We're trying to end them, and a lot of the people in those communities don't want them," Trump said.

Late Tuesday, just one day after being sworn in as president, Trump directed the Department of Justice to send a memo to federal prosecutors around the nation to investigate and prosecute local officials who hinder ICE deportation efforts.

“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing, and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands,” wrote acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, who until recently was one of Donald Trump’s defense lawyers in his criminal cases.

You can read the memo to prosecutors here.

Police departments in some cities, including Chicago and Las Vegas, say they will only assist ICE with raids connected to other criminal activity, not roundups of people suspected of being undocumented. 

In Michigan, though, the federal threats have so far been met by community leaders with a shrug.

“The city of Detroit always cooperated with ICE on detainers and has never been included as a sanctuary city in any communication from the Trump administration,” said Detroit city spokesperson John Roach. The memo “is a non-issue” for Detroit, he said.

There is no definition for what a sanctuary city is, and in many cases, city council resolutions declaring a community as a sanctuary for immigrants have not led to changes in cooperation with ICE, said Christine Suave, community engagement and communications coordinator for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, which has offices around the state.

I’ve not heard of any community in Michigan that has a policy that interferes with ICE,” Suave said.

Trump’s recent threats, though, add to the anxiety spreading through Michigan’s immigrant communities over the new administration’s vow to deport millions of undocumented residents. “It reduces overall public safety if immigrants are afraid to come forward about crimes if they’re concerned they or family members may face immigration consequences,” Suave said.

Increasing that concern is a reversal of long-standing policy which now will allow ICE to enter churches and schools to make deportation arrests. 

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Julie Powers, executive director of Immigration Law and Justice Michigan, said anxiety is high among families with members who are undocumented.

“We knew this was going to get ugly, and here we are,” Powers said.

“There are communities that call themselves sanctuary cities, but it is my understanding that all of the law enforcement will cooperate within the bounds of the law,” Powers said.

The threats of prosecution by Trump come amid a series of sweeping actions by the president, who on Monday issued orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border, ending asylum policies and directing federal authorities to protect Americans against what he called "an invasion" of immigrants.

Catlin, the county administrator in Kalamazoo, suspects his county was placed on sanctuary lists because in 2019 the county board opposed a state proposal to prohibit counties from declaring themselves sanctuaries. Also, in 2015, the county board passed a resolution “affirming the county is a welcoming community where all foreign-born and native-born can live together,” Catlin said.

Michigan Republicans have repeatedly introduced legislation to ban local sanctuary policies, but those proposals have stalled with Democrats controlling at least one legislative chamber and the governor's office.

Senate GOP Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, last year backed bills that would have allowed citizens or the attorney general to take sanctuary communities to court and compel action if they failed to communicate or cooperate with federal immigration officials.

New House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland, said this week that Republicans will again try to "push back and stop" sanctuary policies.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s department cooperates with requests from ICE, according to Catlin, who wondered aloud whether the county should issue a news release explaining that, as a way to head off potential federal funding cuts for something they haven’t done.

Aerial view of Kalamazoo, Michigan during summer twilight
Kalamazoo county and city have both made online lists of "sanctuary" communities. But local officials say the Google results are wrong. (Photo via Shutterstock)

The city of Kalamazoo designated itself as a “welcoming city” in 2017, but Mayor David Anderson told Bridge Michigan that it amounted to a “proclamation.”

“There’s not an official designation, where you check some legal box and it turns you into a sanctuary city,” Anderson said.

The proclamation did not change policies about how the city’s police department interacts with ICE. Officers do not ask the immigration status of residents they interact with, unless an arrest is made. “At that point, we are seeking documentation of who they are,” Anderson said. “And in that process, if it becomes evident that a person is here illegally, that’s information we would communicate to others.”

It's a confusing time for communities, Anderson said. “It’s a little hard to tell as we rush into a new administration how things are going to fall out,” he said. “Some of these things have a shelf life of five minutes.”

Lansing is often listed as a sanctuary city too, but its city council reversed that designation in 2017. East Lansing’s city council voted to declare itself a sanctuary city in 2023.

Suave said courts have in the past upheld the right of local communities to decide how to use their police departments. 

“Punishing sanctuary cities by withholding federal grants harms the whole community,” Suave said. “Especially when no sanctuary policy has ever prevented (federal) law enforcement from doing their job.”

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