In a decision which has stirred controversy, officer’s from the Livingston County will now monitor and record every interaction they have with immigrants who do not have permanent legal status. Following a heated discussion which spanned over two hours, the entirely Republican Livingston County Board of Commissioners voted in favor of this proposal through an 8-0 majority. Commissioner Martin Smith was not present during the voting process.
According to the resolution approved by the board, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, working in partnership with the Board of Commissioners, will document all interactions with undocumented immigrants, despite the nature of their interaction. The expectation is to provide the board with regular updates on these incidents. Sheriff Mike Murphy explained that these interactions may involve suspects, victims, witnesses or even individuals involved in traffic violations.
The sheriff outlined that the purpose of documenting these contacts is to identify potential patterns over a period of time. The move, however, did not go unchecked, as it was met with disapproval from over 30 residents. The common concern among these residents was the possibility of this resolution leading to racial profiling and the unnecessary targeting of immigrants without permanent legal status.
Several residents voiced fears about the potential repercussions this could have, like initiating lawsuits against the county or contravening state and federal laws. On the other hand, roughly 15 residents communicated their support for the proposal, citing their worries about crime and their wish for the county to adopt a forward-looking strategy towards monitoring immigrant interactions.
Some supporters referred to incidents concerning Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Others countered accusations of racism, emphasizing that the resolution is concerning individuals who are residing in the country without permanent legal status, not any specific race or ethnic group.
The resolution’s language mirrors the former President Donald Trump’s phrasing style by referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as the ‘border Czar’. It also draws attention to a 2023 criminal case from Livingston county where a man who was identified as an ‘illegal immigrant’ by county officials pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct against a minor aged between 13 and 15 years old.
Reaction to the resolution wasn’t limited to the residents, as Elinor Jordan, a lawyer from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, was among those who disagreed with the move. She expressed concern that such a resolution could deter immigrant victims and witnesses from reporting crimes, irrespective of their legal status.
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, in association with ACLU of Michigan and other organizations, voiced their collective condemnation of the resolution. Safeguards will be implemented to ensure against victimizing residents, as expressed by the former Brighton mayor who had worries about such occurrences.
In contrast, some residents like Tim Quinn were in support of the resolution. ‘It’s important to remember that we’re focusing on people that enter the country illegally, not migrants’, Quinn said. He was in favor of having a system to better comprehend what’s happening in their county.
Commissioner Wes Nakagiri of Hartland Township advanced the resolution. He expressed his motivation was to take a proactive approach, and to assess the current situation in the county.
An important aspect of the implementation clarified by Sheriff Murphy was that the officers will not be knocking on doors but will only respond to legitimate crime scenes and calls. Identity checks will be performed when people lack identification, which is an existing practice.
If a check confirms that a person lacks the legal status to be in the country, this information would be passed on. ‘It’s not about racism,’ he clarified, and stated the process includes what is termed as a ‘field contact’, which is essentially a report.
‘Our sole intention is to search for patterns over time’, Sheriff Murphy further explained. He emphasized the move as an evidence-based approach to understanding and addressing crime, rather than targeting any particular group.