Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Immigration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge county to resist ICE requests for community ID records
Summary
Multiple residents and community groups urged the board not to comply with ICE requests for county ID records, warning of misuse and potential harm to vulnerable community members; commissioners said they had sought legal counsel.
Several speakers at the Dec. 3 Washtenaw County meeting urged commissioners to resist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests for county ID files and to protect community members who obtained IDs in good faith.
Brenda Anderson (Ann Arbor Indivisible) told the board that residents provided personal information to obtain IDs and that releasing those files to ICE would amount to a breach of trust. Beth Kennedy, also with Ann Arbor Indivisible, said she appreciated the board's legal review and urged commissioners to "hold strong" in the face of federal requests. Other speakers asked the board to consider the vulnerability of ID-holders in day-to-day life and warned that compliance could lead to increased arrests and community harm.
Commissioner LaBarre publicly supported holding firm on the ICE issue, calling recent federal rhetoric "palpably racist" and urging the board to resist actions inconsistent with county values. The board did not announce a policy vote on ICE requests during the meeting; commissioners said a law firm had been engaged to evaluate legal options and expressed concern about potential federal-fund impacts.
Next steps discussed in the meeting record were that county administration is consulting legal counsel and that commissioners expect staff to report back before any records release. Public speakers urged early transparency about any legal advice and promised community support for resistant positions.
