The Michigan Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee heard passionate testimony Thursday on three bills that would significantly restrict immigration enforcement activities statewide.
The legislative package includes Senate Bill 508, which would prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities at sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, courthouses, places of worship, and domestic violence shelters, unless agents have a judicial warrant.
Senate Bill 509 would prevent government agencies from sharing personal information with ICE without a warrant, and Senate Bill 510 would ban law enforcement, including federal agents, from wearing masks except for health reasons or during undercover assignments.
The hearing included testimony from law enforcement veterans, including former Detroit police Chief Ike McKinnon, who stressed that federal agents’ use of masks undermines community trust.
Sen. Jim Runestad (R-23rd District) expressed opposition to the measures.
“The reality is that I don’t think there’s a person in Lansing or in the state of Michigan who has a problem with legal immigration,” Runestad said. “This is strictly about people who are here illegally.”
Committee Chair Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-3rd District), a co-sponsor of the bills, presided over the hearing. The committee did not vote on the bills on Thursday (Jan. 29), with additional hearings anticipated before any vote to advance the legislation to the full Senate.
“We do know of many instances where people have been picked up just dropping their kids off at school, people going to the courthouse literally because they’re trying to follow the process that our government has laid out for them to get legal permanent residency,” Chang told Local 4.
Immigration attorney Herman Dahde with Detroit Immigration Law said he regularly receives calls from people with authorization to work in the country who are still facing arrest despite following proper procedures.
“I’m getting calls from people getting arrested, no criminal records, nothing,” Dahde said in an interview with Local 4. “They’re playing by the rules, they have a work permit, and they’re getting arrested at traffic stops.”
Dahde said he now advises anyone with an immigration ID to carry it with them at all times. He sees the State Senate bills as common-sense measures.
“It’s very intimidating. I’m getting clients telling me they’re seeing patrol cars orbiting their neighborhoods,” Dahde said. ”The community needs to be able to feel safe, to go to school, to go to the library, and just participate.”