Michigan state, local officials work to limit immigration enforcement agents

As communities across the country push back on federal immigration policies, some Ypsilanti, Washtenaw County and Michigan officials are passing resolutions and introducing proposals to limit the power and presence of immigration officers in the area.

Ypsilanti council supports Senate bill

At their Jan. 20, 2026, meeting, Ypsilanti City Council members passed a resolution supporting proposed Michigan Senate Bill 510, which would require law enforcement officials to be unmasked when carrying out official duties and interacting with members of the public. 

The bill, introduced in August by State Senators Stephanie Chang (D-District 3), Mary Cavanagh (D-District 6) and Jeremy Moss (D-District 7), would amend the Michigan Penal Code to prohibit face coverings worn by officers in certain circumstances. 

The proposed change would require that “a law enforcement officer, while interacting with a member of the public in the performance of the law enforcement officer's duties, shall wear an appropriate uniform and shall not wear a mask or personal disguise.”

Ypsilanti Council Members Desiraé Simmons, Ward 3, and Me'chelle King, Ward 1, introduced the resolution. There has been Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in Ypsilanti and it is important for the city to respond, Simmons told The Eastern Echo.

"I've had people reaching out to me about neighbors being gone missing; cars being left," she said. 

Michigan Senate bills

Senate Bill 510 is one of three bills introduced by Chang, Cavanagh and Moss to curtail what they described in a statement as dangerous immigration enforcement tactics used by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. 

"Unethical, terrorizing immigration enforcement tactics have been increasing across the nation under the second Trump administration," the statement said, which pointed to the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot by an ICE agent on Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis. 

Democratic State Senator Jeff Irwin, who represents Ypsilanti in District 15, is a supporter of these bills, he said.

"What (these bills) seek to do is they seek to rein in some of the worst abuses we're seeing from ICE right now," Irwin said to The Echo. 

Immigration agents should operate how other law enforcement activities have traditionally functioned in the U.S., Irwin said, with anonymity reserved for undercover operations and other narrow, reasonable circumstances.

"When you're talking about officers who are operating out in the community, it's important that people be able to know who they are for a couple reasons. One is that when people's rights are violated, when people are experiencing violence at the hands of police authorities, whether it's federal or local, there has to be some way to hold those people accountable," Irwin said. "I am just appalled that the vice president has even said publicly that there is no accountability for these officers; they have complete immunity. That is a recipe for disaster, it is a recipe for violence and it is a recipe for the kind of killings that we have seen on the streets in places like Minneapolis."

When law enforcement officers are not properly identified as such, it can put members of the public, as well as the officers, in danger, Irwin said.

"They're pulling people over in vehicles that are not marked and they are not identifiable. How do those people know that these are ICE agents and not just random criminals who are using this chaos and violence in our streets as a smokescreen for violence?" he said.

Senate Bill 508 would enact a new law to prohibit law enforcement officers from conducting an immigration enforcement action in a sensitive location, except with a court-ordered warrant or to address an imminent threat to public safety. Sensitive locations include schools, places of worship, hospitals, courthouses and other similar spaces. 

Irwin said current immigration enforcement tactics have put citizens and noncitizens alike at risk.

"What we're talking about are just these sweeps without judicial warrants making it hard for people to go to court or go to school, and even driving citizens who might have the valid paperwork but might have an accent or who are not acceptably white enough for the ICE officers; these folks are also scared of being accosted ... or maybe even detained, just when they go to court or go to a healthcare facility or go to church. So, I think that's wrong, and so that's why we have put this legislation together to try to protect people in those spaces." he added. 

Senate Bill 509 would bar government entities from disclosing information that will be used for immigration enforcement in certain circumstances, unless obligated to by a court-ordered federal or Michigan warrant.

Irwin said he anticipates the bills will move through the Democratic-majority Senate to the House of Representatives eventually, but he expects resistance to the bills from Michigan Republicans, who control the House.

"I think it is going to be challenging for these bills to make it all the way through the process and to the governor's desk because the Republicans in Michigan have basically said that they agree with Trump's desire to make America unfriendly to immigrants," Irwin said. "In the past, we used to have, I thought, a bipartisan agreement that immigration is making our state stronger and we want to bring talented, hard-working people from all over the world that could be a part of our communities. They have turned their back on that and it has been really sad to watch."

"I think the governor has more tools, certainly, than the state Senate does to make sure that people who are here in our state feel welcome and they don't feel afraid to live a normal life in our state, and I hope that she does everything within her power to do that," he added.

Commissioners declare ICE-free zones in Washtenaw County

Jan. 21, 2026, the Washtenaw Board of Commissioners passed a resolution limiting immigration agents' presence on all county property.

"The Board affirms that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers shall not be permitted to enter, remain in, or conduct civil immigration enforcement activities within any Washtenaw County–owned, leased, or operated building, facility, or property (including parking areas) unless required by law or pursuant to a valid judicial warrant or court order," part of the resolution said. The resolution was co-drafted by Washtenaw County advocacy group Movement for Immigrant Rights Action and Commissioner Yousef Rabhi (D-District 8). 

Annie Somerville, Democratic Commissioner representing Ypsilanti in District 6, said at the meeting that she has heard concerns about ICE presence in the area from constituents. 

"The amount of people I am hearing from in Ypsilanti ... it's happening a lot in Ypsilanti," Somerville said. 

The resolution opposed ICE's use of face coverings to conceal identity during civil immigration enforcement activities, except in circumstances where face coverings are required for verified public health or safety reasons. The resolution also instructed county employees, contractors and agents against voluntarily assisting ICE officers in Washtenaw County buildings and property, unless required by law.

"I think this resolution is great, but I am also thinking ... how can we use all of our networks to provide care and support for people right now who are afraid to leave their homes in our community, especially after seeing some of the live footage from other areas of the country?" Somerville said. 

In the resolution, the Washtenaw Board of Commissioners encouraged cities, townships, villages, school districts and other governing entities in and outside of Washtenaw County to adopt similar policies and resolutions.

Ypsilanti City Council Member Simmons said to The Echo that she would like to see a ban of ICE agents from Ypsilanti municipal spaces, which will take more time to work out within the law.