ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Community members packed a Washtenaw County town hall Thursday night as Sheriff Alyshia Dyer addressed immigration enforcement and residents' rights.
"There's kids that can't go to school because they're scared and parents who are terrified to put their kids on the bus," said Evette Dziedzic, an Ypsilanti resident who attended with her 7-year-old daughter.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report below:
Tiarra Braddock is 7 News Detroit's Washtenaw County beat reporter. If you have a story idea for her, email her at Tiarra.Braddock@wxyz.com
Dziedzic said her daughter has been affected by news coverage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis and other areas.
"We were at her therapist office and there was a guy that came in just with warm weather gear and she got scared and she's like 'it's ICE, it's ICE,' and it was just a patient that was coming in from the cold," Dziedzic said.
During the town hall, Dyer explained residents' rights when dealing with ICE agents.
"Opening a door can imply consent, so the advice is if you see ICE do not open the door unless you consent to them coming in. And if they have a warrant, you can ask to have them slide it under the door," Dyer said.
Ramiro Martinez, co-founder of the Washtenaw County-based organization Movement for Immigration Rights Action, attended the town hall and shared his own experience with ICE enforcement from last April.
"I was telling them that they got the wrong person… they just ignored me," Martinez said.
State Rep. Carrie Rheingans was among the local leaders and state and federal representatives who attended the packed town hall.
"In our office, we've introduced bills to protect people's rights of due process and bills to protect rights against unlawful searches and seizures," Rheingans said.
However, not everyone supported the sheriff's approach. Brian Szmytke from the Oakland County Republican Party criticized Dyer's town hall. In a statement to 7 News Detroit, he said:
As a law-enforcement official, Sheriff Dyer has a responsibility to her badge and to the public to act with integrity and to respect the enforcement of laws that have been on the books for years. Disparaging or undermining lawful federal action from a position of authority, as she did tonight at her town hall, does not educate the public - it misleads them.
Unfortunately, Sheriff Dyer has a recent history of stoking unfounded fears about ICE and federal law enforcement. When dangerous messaging comes from elected or sworn officials like the Sheriff, the damage caused is often irreparable in the short term.
Sheriff Dyer should either do her job and cooperate with federal authorities or resign so someone that will can take her place.”
Dyer said her goal for the town hall was to inform residents about their rights and ensure they know what resources are available to them.
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