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Residents urge policy changes after alleged ICE detentions and press council on recurring street flooding
Summary
Several residents raised alarms at the council meeting about a worker who was reportedly taken by federal immigration authorities after local police contact, calling for transparency and policy limits; neighbors also asked the city to address repeated stormwater backups on Rosebrier Street.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period at the Sept. 15 St. Clair Shores City Council meeting to press the city on two persistent concerns: (1) a reported incident in which a local worker was taken by federal immigration authorities after a police contact, and (2) recurring street flooding and basement backups on Rosebrier Street.
Speakers including Jennifer Oreste and Karen O'Keefe told council members they had heard that a worker who was waiting at a worksite was approached by police for a license issue and subsequently taken by federal authorities to a detention facility more than three hours away. They said the city has not produced a police report and urged the council to change practice: "I strongly urge that our city stop police department stop calling in federal authorities unless they're required to do so," one speaker said, arguing that the practice discourages community cooperation and can place families at risk.
Other commenters expressed concern that the lack of a formal police report left families without notice and complicated efforts to find detained relatives. Speakers warned of legal and fiscal risk if the city is seen to act as an enforcement arm of federal immigration authorities in trivial encounters.
On flooding, neighbors David Mascia and Martin Sepek described repeated street flooding and basement backups — including a July event — that caused property damage and personal loss. They provided photos and videos to council members and asked about short- and long-term solutions. City staff and DPW representatives offered to meet with affected residents, review street-level infrastructure and explain existing measures such as restrictor plates and other control devices.
Council members and staff said they would follow up: staff offered a separate meeting with DPW to outline what can be done to reduce street flooding and to explain permit and mitigation options; council asked staff to confirm the facts and to return with proposed next steps on both the immigration-transparency and flooding concerns.
