More Protections Expected for Ann Arbor Undocumented Immigrants

The Ann Arbor City Council is considering a resolution reaffirming the city's position against cooperating with the feds and instead providing more protections for undocumented immigrants.
The resolution is expected to easily pass when it goes to council for approval on May 1.
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor told Michigan Radio the proposed resolution's goal is "to make city policies clear so undocumented immigrants will not be afraid to get help from police or to interact with other city officials."
The resolution states, among many provisions, that Ann Arbor officials will require a judicial warrant before detaining anyone at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection.
Taylor told Michigan Radio he "doesn't believe there is anything in the resolution that puts the city at odds with federal law. So withholding federal funds for Ann Arbor would not be justified."
President Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to withhold federal grants from so-called sanctuary cities. Ann Arbor officials have not adopted the label "sanctuary city," which does not have a specific definition.
This resolution – drafted with input from the public, the police, the city attorney, and other city staff, and it is partly based on recommendations from the ACLU's "Freedom Cities" campaign – follows an ordinance passed on April 3 by the Ann Arbor City Council that sets out when city police and other city officials may and may not ask about a person's immigration status.