After outrage from some residents and activists, city officials in Center Line have rescinded their agreement to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they had agreed to it a couple of weeks prior.
On Oct. 20, Center Line entered into a memorandum of agreement with ICE for what’s called a 287(g) Task Force Model, which would allow local police officers to act as immigrants agents enforcing immigration law. Civil rights and immigrants advocates have raised concerns about this type of agreement, saying it leads to racial profiling and false arrests of immigrants and even U.S. citizens. Local police would be compensated by ICE for their activity, offering a financial incentive to target immigrants, advocates said.
The October agreement with Center Line drew outrage from progressive activists and others who jammed a council meeting on Monday, Nov. 3, expressing their concerns. Some held up signs at the standing room only meeting that read “ICE OUT” and “ICE are Domestic Terrorists.”
“It’s deeply concerning that a local municipality would compromise constitutional protections in exchange for funding,” Katrina Manetta, executive director of Macomb Defenders Rising, said at the livestreamed council meeting. “This decision sends a dangerous message, that democratic principles and citizen rights can be traded for short-term financial relief.”
The day after the council meeting, Nov. 4, the public safety director told ICE it was withdrawing from the 287(g) agreement, according to a statement released by Center Line officials on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
“After listening to the public comments and discussing the 287(g) MOU (memorandum of understanding) with City Council members and the Mayor of Center Line, the City Manager has determined that it is in the City’s best interest to withdraw its MOA (memorandum of agreement) with ICE,” the statement from Center Line said.
This is the second time in Michigan in recent weeks that a police department has rescinded its agreement with ICE after community opposition. On Oct. 22, the Metro Police Authority of Genesee County, which covers Mundy Township and Swartz Creek, ended its agreement with ICE after it had entered into an agreement in July for the 287(g) Task Force Model.
Center Line became the second city in metro Detroit’s tri-county area to sign a 287(g) agreement with ICE, according to the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. Jackson County became the first local government in Michigan to sign an agreement with ICE, when they signed a memorandum of agreement with the federal agency in March for a 287(g) Warrant Service Officer agreement. Taylor became the first municipality in metro Detroit to reach a 287(g) agreement, signing up in March for the Task Force model, which immigrant advocates say is worse than the Warrant Service version because it gives officers the full power of immigration agents.
In their statement, Center Line said their understanding of the 287 agreement is that it would focus on immigrants with criminal records, not on random raids and profiling communities.
“The City of Center Line had no intent to participate in any ICE enforcement activities in direct partnership with ICE agents, such as raids on businesses or resident’s homes, as the City does not have the resources for that sort of activity,” the statement from Center Line said.
Center Line is a small city of about 8,500 residents in the southern part of Macomb County that is surrounded by Warren. It has become increasingly diverse, about 30% Black, 11% Asian, and 4% Latino, according to 2023 census data analyzed by Census Reporter. About 3% of its residents are of Arab or Middle Eastern descent, according to 2020 census data. About 15% of its population are immigrants, a majority of them from Asia or the Middle East. Many residents in Warren, which has a growing number of minorities and immigrants, drive through Center Line.
Manetta said that these types of agreements lead to violence against residents and actually make it harder to fight crime because victims and witnesses of crimes from immigrant communities may become less likely to report incidents.
“Across the country, we’ve seen the violence that follows 287 agreements: pre-dawn raids, breaking down doors, smashing windows, forcible removals of residents, including children being zip tied in the middle of the night and families being torn apart,” Manetta said. “Entire neighborhoods are living in fear. These programs foster racial profiling, undermine trust in local enforcement and make people afraid to report crimes.”
In the Chicago area, ICE and also Border Patrol have stepped up activity in recent weeks, prompting concern from immigrant advocates such activities could spread to other cities in the U.S. The 287(g) agreements are with ICE and don’t affect how Border Patrol operates. Targeting of people by Border Patrol agents appears to be more random and aggressive, the Chicago Tribune reported this week. All of the state of Michigan is under Border Patrol’s jurisdiction.
“These agreements have been shown to be costly, and lead to racial profiling and constitutional violations,” Christine Sauvé, a manager at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said in a statement, echoing the views of Manetta. “Our communities are safer when local law enforcement focuses on building trust with residents, and steers clear of enforcing federal immigration law.”
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A city in metro Detroit rescinds agreement with ICE after outrage from activists
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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