In an unanimous decision Monday, the Ann Arbor City Council put further constraints on the abilities of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to act on city property. Addressing a rising controversy over ICE's national operations, the resolution explicitly prohibits their access to non-public areas of city buildings without a judicial warrant and blocks city resources from being utilized for immigration enforcement staging.
"Under the current administration, ICE is committing crimes every single day, beatings in the streets, tear gas, indiscriminate arrests, and, of course, murder," Mayor Christopher Taylor declared in a statement obtained by Local 4. The city aims to further offer signage to businesses, and organizations to delineate public and non-public spaces – demarcating where ICE operations are unwelcome. Additionally, in line with a CBS Detroit report, the policy reaffirms non-cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and necessitates a judicial warrant for any ICE action on non-public city properties.
New legislation is emerging from local and state officials, aimed at regulating federal immigration enforcement's reach within Michigan. Rep. Carrie Rheingans has brought forth House Bill 5495 to ensure ICE agents comply with the Fourth Amendment when operating in the state, "What I'm hearing day in and day out from my constituents is they want to see their elected representatives trying to protect them," Rheingans told CBS Detroit. Her proposal calls for prohibiting law enforcement actions based purely on personal characteristics and reaffirms the necessity of judicial warrants for home entries.
Amid heightened tensions following local ICE-related incidents, including the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, council members have cautioned residents. They advised that while ICE-free zones cannot be guaranteed, and while ICE agents operate on public property, people should remember their right to record law enforcement but also adhere to agents' directions. This guidance came in conjunction with council's approval of security measures such as key card systems to control access to non-public city spaces, reported by WXYZ.
Despite the resolution not fully banning ICE from city property or creating sanctuary zones, Mayor Taylor emphasized the city's commitment to those at risk of immigration enforcement. "We are here for the immigrants among us. We know they are central to our community. They comprise our community, and we're doing everything we can in our power to provide for them and support them," Taylor stated in the CBS Detroit interview. The legislative efforts and the resolution are clear indicators of Ann Arbor's stance on federal immigration policies and their enforcement.
