(WXYZ) — The Ann Arbor City Council voted Monday to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering some city property spaces.
Last week, Ann Arbor Mayor Chris Taylor told our Simon Shaykhet that a resolution would be introduced Monday to keep ICE out of non-public spaces on city property.
See our story from last week in the video below
That resolution was passed unanimously on Monday evening.
Under the resolution, Ann Arbor city property cannot be used for staging for any ICE immigration enforcement, and key card systems will be implemented to ensure that.
The city is also working toward banning ICE agents from wearing masks.
City council members noted they weren't declaring any ICE-free zones because they can't guarantee that, and they don't want to give anyone a false sense of security.
Members also reminded residents that they have a right to record law enforcement, but do not interfere with agents and listen to their directions.
The full resolution reads:
"Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and human rights of all residents, regardless of race, religion, immigration status, national origin, and other protected traits;
Whereas, Increased civil immigration enforcement activities across the country, including in Michigan, are negatively impacting communities by undermining community trust, spreading fear, and creating barriers to accessing essential City services;
Whereas, The fear of civil immigration enforcement can deter immigrants from reporting crimes, cooperating with investigations, and accessing essential City services;
Whereas, Ann Arbor has long recognized that public safety is best achieved through trust and collaboration between residents and local government, not through the militarization or deputization of City resources in service of civil immigration enforcement;
Whereas, The Ann Arbor City Council reaffirmed its position on immigration enforcement in the City of Ann Arbor through the passage and continued support of R-17-140, which, among other things, prohibits the use of City resources to assist with civil immigration enforcement;
Whereas, The Ann Arbor Police Department requires individuals claiming to be law enforcement who seek entry into non-public and secured Police facilities to present identification and verification of their affiliation with other law enforcement agencies;
Whereas, Civil immigration enforcement operations utilizing municipal property as staging sites have occurred in other jurisdictions, raising concerns about the potential use of the City of Ann Arbor’s properties for similar purposes;
Whereas, The unauthorized use of City resources, property, or personnel to facilitate civil immigration enforcement actions interferes with the City’s authority over, and its use of, its own resources, property, and personnel;
Whereas, The use of City resources, property, or personnel to facilitate civil immigration enforcement actions is inconsistent with the City’s values as a welcoming community;
Whereas, Such use of City resources further erodes trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, weakening the relationships that are essential to ensuring public safety and effective community policing;
Whereas, Across the country, there has been an increased use of face coverings, along with the absence of visible identification (including names, identification numbers, etc.) to clearly identify individuals as federal law enforcement personnel;
Whereas, The use of face coverings and lack of consistent, visible identification are making it difficult for individuals and local law enforcement to distinguish between authorized law enforcement officers and bad actors;
Whereas, Members in communities where these tactics have been used have reported confusion and fear as to whether or not they were witnessing a crime;
Whereas, The City should have the right to establish identification requirements for law enforcement officers operating within the City so that the Ann Arbor Police Department and members of the public can distinguish between individuals who are authorized law enforcement officers and those who are not;
Whereas, The legality of whether state and local governments have the authority to ensure all law enforcement in their jurisdiction is identifiable to protect public safety as it pertains to face coverings and identification is currently being litigated in United States v. California, et al., No. 2:25-cv-10999 (C.D. Cal. 2025); and
Whereas, The City has both the authority and responsibility, under its police powers, to maintain order and protect the safety and well-being of all people within its jurisdiction;
RESOLVED, That the Ann Arbor City Council again affirms its longstanding policy outlined in R-17-140, including the prohibition on using City resources, funds, or personnel to assist in civil immigration enforcement, or on entering into any agreement under 8 U.S.C. Section 1357(g);
RESOLVED, That the City prohibits federal immigration officials (e.g., Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, etc.) to enter or use private areas (areas marked as private and/or closed to the public) in City facilities, for civil immigration enforcement purposes absent a judicial warrant;
RESOLVED, That the City prohibits the use of any City-owned parking lot or vacant lot for the purpose of aiding civil immigration enforcement and/or for the purpose of staging or establishing an operational base for civil immigration enforcement operations;
RESOLVED, That for purposes of this resolution, “staging area” means an area that is used to assemble, mobilize, and deploy vehicles, equipment, or materials, and related personnel, for the purpose of carrying out civil immigration enforcement operations;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator shall as soon as possible, but no later than 90 days, identify City-owned parking lots and vacant lots and ensure that all such properties have clear signage stating that the property is owned by the City of Ann Arbor and may not be used for civil immigration enforcement, including as a staging area, processing location, or for other civil immigration operations;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator shall as soon as possible, but no later than 90 days, design and make available for public use standardized signage that private landowners and leaseholders, including businesses, medical providers, nonprofit organizations, and places of worship, may print and display in their own discretion to delineate non-public areas of property in which the landowner or leaseholder wishes to restrict activities related to civil immigration enforcement;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator shall as soon as possible, but no later than 90 days, ensure that, wherever appropriate and feasible, barriers such as key-card access entry and/or locked gates are used to limit access to City-owned and controlled property including parking lots, vacant lots, or garages consistent with this resolution;
RESOLVED, That this resolution shall not apply to property subject to an existing lease or agreement to which the City is a party and shall not be interpreted to interfere with any such lease or agreement to which the City is currently a party;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator shall, as soon as possible, but no later than 90 days, develop a policy whereby City employees, contractors, and agents are prohibited from utilizing any City resource, including without limitation, any information obtained during the course of employment, service, or agency, to assist, facilitate, or cooperate with Federal civil immigration enforcement activities, to the extent permitted by law and exempt where such assistance is required by law;
RESOLVED, That the City formally opposes the use of masks or face coverings by federal immigration officials that conceal their identities during civil immigration enforcement activities occurring within the City of Ann Arbor, except in circumstances where face coverings are required for verified public health or safety reasons;
RESOLVED, The City shall, as soon as practical, create an ordinance prohibiting law enforcement officers operating in the City from using face coverings, subject to limited exceptions, and require that law enforcement officers operating in the City visibly display identification that includes their agency and either a name or badge number, or both name and badge number, when performing enforcement duties;
RESOLVED, That this resolution only pertains to civil immigration enforcement activities, and does not prohibit the lawful use of City-owned and controlled property for other purposes, nor does it restrict any person or entity from carrying out functions unrelated to the prohibited purposes on such property;
RESOLVED, That the Ann Arbor City Council directs the Administrator or his/her designee(s) to immediately design and implement appropriate training processes for City staff to comply with this resolution; and
RESOLVED, That it is not the intention of the City of Ann Arbor to violate 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1373 and nothing in this resolution shall be construed as restricting or interfering with the execution of lawful judicial warrants or enforcement of criminal law, nor as limiting the rights of any person or entity under state or federal law.
Sponsored by: Councilmember Harrison, Mayor Taylor, Mayor Pro Tem Radina, Councilmembers Ghazi Edwin and Briggs"
