At its April 21, 2026, meeting, the Ypsilanti City Council unanimously approved a resolution to increase community education about immigration rights and assert its stance against Immigration Customs and Enforcement activity in Ypsilanti.
In passing the resolution, City Council called on the U.S. Congress to cease funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection and instead redirect those funds to support housing, healthcare and education. The resolution also enacts a city-wide immigration rights education campaign that would distribute literature about rights to Ypsilanti households, allow partnership with the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority to promote rights materials on public buses and make city spaces free for related community trainings.
The resolution directs the city manager and clerk to develop an outreach and polling place operations plan to address concerns from some about the deployment of ICE agents at polling locations.
The city designated up to $10,000 from its general fund to support the directives and outreach initiatives laid out in the resolution, including costs like printing, translation, mailing, polling place operations and staffing.
The resolution charged ICE with violent arrests of civilians, including U.S. citizens, and the use of chemical weapons. It also mentions the shootings of nine individuals since September 2025, including the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and Silverio Villegas González in Chicago.
Since January 2025, ICE has reported 43 detainee deaths in its custody. The resolution said at least 15 people in and around Ypsilanti have been detained by ICE. There have been 1,075 ICE arrests in Michigan between Jan. 1 and early March, 2026, according to ICE data obtained and processed by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Eastern Echo. It is unclear how many of these arrests occurred in the Ypsilanti area.
The resolution also supports a lawsuit brought by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel against a proposed ICE detention facility in Romulus, Michigan. Additionally, it urges the Wayne County Airport Authority Board to review and limit its use for ICE deportation flights where legally permissible, following previous reports of flights by ICE out of Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several community members voiced support for the resolution. Two of the community members were the children of Ypsilanti business owner Miguel Rosas Ruiz, who was recently released from ICE custody after spending more than a month in North Lake Processing Center, a facility in Baldwin, Michigan.
“They’re not treated like humans. This isn't fair. There’s no humanity in this," said son Michael Rosas of his father's experience in ICE custody.
His sister, Morelia, also expressed her support for the resolution, extending her concern for others in the area.
"No one should have to experience any loved one being kidnapped,and every single person in our community is a loved one," Morelia said.
