Michigan law enforcement agencies are opposing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans, citing a lack of resources to conduct large-scale immigration enforcement.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump was elected following a campaign centered on immigration and the promise of deporting millions of people without legal status in the United States.
A New York Times/Ipsos poll (January 2-10) found that 55% of voters support Trump’s mass deportation plan, while 88% support deporting immigrants with criminal records who do not have legal permission to live in the United States. The majority of Democrats and Republicans agree that the current immigration system is broken.
What To Know
Several police departments told the Detroit Free Press that they lack the time, funding, and interest to carry out Trump’s mass deportation policies.
State agencies and educational institutions may lose federal funding if they do not cooperate with the Trump administration, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed prosecutors to look into state officials who oppose President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Michigan House of Representatives approved a resolution requiring local governments and universities to ensure that their policies “do not include language that requires, encourages, or supports subverting immigration enforcement in any way or refusing to comply with federal immigration enforcement measures.”
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom has been one of Michigan’s most vocal opponents of assisting ICE, refusing to back the Trump administration’s immigration policies. When asked by the Detroit Free Press about a possible federal investigation, he appeared unconcerned.
“I am confident that GRPD’s policy of declining to cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement is legally sound. “As our policy states, they have responsibilities, and we have ours,” he explained.
