The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the decision by the U.S. District Court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration against Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia M. Dyer, Prosecutor Eli Savit, and the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.
SEE: Washtenaw County may continue ‘sanctuary policies,’ federal judge rules
SEE: Judge’s Opinion and Order Granting Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss
The lawsuit challenged the county’s policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement by directing the Sheriff’s Office not to honor ICE voluntary detainers not signed by a judge, barring ICE agents from county property without a judicial warrant and directing prosecutors to consider immigration consequences when making charging decisions. In a decisive ruling, Judge F. Kay Behm dismissed the case, affirming that Washtenaw County was exercising its constitutional authority under the Tenth Amendment.
“Neither the federal government nor the President may conscript local officials to enforce their will,” wrote Judge Behm in her 86-page opinion, continuing that “Nothing in the text of the [Immigration and Nationality Act] requires the result the government seeks, and the government cannot otherwise compel localities to enforce the President’s priorities in the manner it wishes”.
The dismissal is part of a growing series of similar rulings in Illinois, Los Angeles, New York, Denver, and Minnesota that reaffirm the principle that state and local governments are not obligated to cooperate with federal immigration law.
“Public officials should never have to choose between protecting their communities and standing up to federal overreach,” said Jad Salamey, CAIR-MI Immigration and Civil Rights Attorney. “This ruling is a powerful affirmation that local governments are not mere appendages of the federal government. They have the right and the responsibility to make decisions that best serve the safety and well-being of all their residents, regardless of immigration status, without being coerced into advancing a political agenda that sows fear and division.”
CAIR-MI remains committed to defending the civil liberties of all people, including the immigrant and Muslim communities in Washtenaw County and throughout Michigan, and ensuring that constitutional protections are upheld against overreach.
CAIR-MI’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MI Immigration and Civil Rights Attorney, Jad Salamey (313)-314-3819 [email protected]; CAIR-MI Lead Staff Attorney, Amy V. Doukoure, (586) 943-8823