On Friday, April 10, 2026, a man was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti, prompting an immediate response from community members.
Beth Bashert, Ypsilanti Mayor from 2018 to 2020, witnessed the man's detainment, which occurred near the Encuentro Latino Restaurant and Art of Africa Hair Braiding around 9 a.m. She and other activists had seen an ICE vehicle and followed it, leading them to the scene of the detention, where six ICE vehicles blocked off the driver and stopped all traffic on Michigan Avenue.
“As soon as it started, people started blowing whistles and honking and shouting. We distracted as much as we could," Bashert told The Eastern Echo.
After the man was taken, his car, like many others in the same circumstances, was left open, unlocked, and with the keys inside, Bashert said. She and a few others secured the vehicle, identified the man, and took the car back to his home.
“The community did some things very successfully. One is that they caused the incident to last longer than it would without community attention. It usually takes about five minutes, but this incident took them over 15 minutes," Bashert said. "That’s all we can do: slow them down, make them treat people better and draw attention to it.”
The incident occurred a day after the U.S. government filed a lawsuit against Washtenaw County. The lawsuit was filed over three immigration policies that the U.S. government believes to be in violation of the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause and the preemptive authority of federal policies to be enforced over local policies as described in the Constitution. Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer and the sheriff's office, County Prosecutor Eli Savit and the prosecutor's office, and the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners are named as defendants in the suit.
The lawsuit requests that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan invalidate and block the implementation of a general order from the Sheriff's Office, a Prosecutor's Office policy, and a resolution by the Board of Commissioners, all of which relate to local immigration response protocols. The suit reasons that these policies interfere with law enforcement operations, endanger national security and increase danger to ICE officers and the public.
"Washtenaw County’s policies aim to obstruct federal law enforcement and celebrate thwarting the constitutional obligation of the President of the United States to take care that federal immigration law be faithfully executed," the document said. None of the parties involved in the federal lawsuit was immediately available for comment.
Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office General Order 1.14 instructs employees not to investigate solely based on immigration status or to inquire about immigration status during law enforcement operations. It also prohibits the use of Sheriff's Office resources for federal immigration matters, and bars Sheriff's Office employees from detaining individuals on the sole justification of an immigration detainer, removal order or deportation order that has not been signed by a federal magistrate or judge. The order was issued Jan. 30, 2025.
The Prosecutor's Office Policy 2021-12, signed on Feb. 24, 2021, directs prosecutors to minimize collateral immigration consequences throughout the course of legal proceedings.
Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Resolution 26-015 opposes the use of identity-concealing face coverings by ICE officers and bars them from entering and operating in county-owned properties without a warrant or court order. Additionally, it "directs all Washtenaw County agencies and employees to pursue continued community engagement and monitoring of federal immigration enforcement practices to ensure alignment with principles of transparency, accountability, and equity." The resolution was adopted Jan. 21, 2026.
Bashert and other community members have noticed that ICE has been in Ypsilanti much more frequently than they have in the past, she said. Bashert and her colleagues are not part of any named organization.
“I am just an activated citizen that cares very deeply that my neighbors are being harmed, and families are being torn apart,” she said.
Everyone has rights, regardless of immigration status. For legal resources and information about personal rights, visit the Michigan Immigration Rights Center's website. For more information about ICE in the area, visit The Eastern Echo’s guide to immigration enforcement in Washtenaw County.
