Mount Pleasant holds work session on immigrant 'trust act'; commissioners ask for more data and legal review
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Summary
Commissioners discussed a proposal modeled on the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act and potential local policy changes affecting interactions between Mount Pleasant Police and immigrant communities. No ordinance was adopted; staff will provide additional data and legal guidance.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — The Mount Pleasant City Commission held a work session Nov. 10 to discuss local policy toward immigration enforcement and whether a local ordinance modeled on the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act should be pursued.
Commissioner Skalitzki said he raised the topic because national developments have left many immigrant residents — including students at Central Michigan University and Mid Michigan College — feeling vulnerable. "There is fear and there is concern from residents of Mount Pleasant, and that is the reason why I wanted to bring this up," he said.
Public Safety Director Paul Lauria urged caution. He explained that the Mount Pleasant Police Department operates under federal deputization agreements tied to the nearby federally recognized reservation and warned that selectively changing enforcement could affect those intergovernmental arrangements. Lauria also told commissioners that local MPD data do not show routine immigration enforcement: "Do you know how many expired visas the Mount Pleasant Police Department has documented for students? 0." He said ICE had notified MPD they were in town only once or twice in recent months and that MPD had not engaged in proactive immigration checks.
Several commissioners framed the question as one of human rights and community trust. Vice Mayor Eke urged the commission to consider written protections, saying the conversation is about "human rights and human dignity." Other commissioners said they supported the intent to reassure residents but were not ready to act without more local data, legal analysis and consultation with partner agencies, including the Isabella County Human Rights Committee and Central Michigan University Police.
The meeting ended with no ordinance proposed or voted on. Mayor Wingard summarized the consensus as a decision to maintain current MPD policy for now, ask staff to circulate additional information (including CMU policy material), and seek legal guidance and community input before any formal change.
(Quotes in this article are drawn from the Nov. 10 Mount Pleasant City Commission work session.)
