Know Your Rights if ICE Comes to Michigan

This page is information, not legal advice. Michigan has no statewide sanctuary law or statewide ban on 287(g) agreements. Seven local agencies have 287(g) agreements with ICE, and county-level policies vary widely. The Michigan Supreme Court enacted a courthouse protection rule effective May 1, 2026. ICE arrests in Michigan nearly tripled from 2024 to October 2025. Verify current conditions with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) or a licensed immigration attorney.

Michigan has no statewide law prohibiting or limiting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. There is no Michigan equivalent of the Illinois TRUST Act or the Massachusetts Lunn decision. What Michigan has is wide variation by county and city, with some local agencies actively partnering with ICE through 287(g) agreements, others explicitly declining to do so, and many operating in between. The county or city you are in matters significantly.

Seven Michigan law enforcement agencies had active 287(g) agreements with ICE as of late 2025 and early 2026 - Berrien, Calhoun, Crawford, Genesee, Jackson, and Roscommon county sheriffs, plus the City of Taylor police department. ICE arrests in Michigan nearly tripled from 2024 levels through October 2025. The Michigan Supreme Court enacted a new court rule effective May 1, 2026, prohibiting civil immigration arrests at courthouses. And state Senate Democrats introduced bills to limit ICE enforcement in sensitive locations, though these had not passed as of mid-2026.

Michigan's patchwork enforcement landscape means that where you live, where you are arrested if an arrest occurs, and which county's sheriff processes you can each significantly affect your risk of entering ICE custody.

Part 1: Your rights under federal law - everywhere, including Michigan

These rights come from the U.S. Constitution. They apply in Michigan regardless of immigration status, citizenship, or how you entered the country.

At your front door

The Fourth Amendment protects your home from government entry without your consent or a judicial warrant. Two very different documents may come to your door.

A judicial warrant is signed by a federal judge, based on probable cause, and authorizes entry to a specific address. If ICE presents a valid judicial warrant with your correct address and a judge's signature, officers have legal authority to enter. Ask to see it through a closed door or window before opening.

An administrative warrant, typically ICE Form I-200 or I-205, is signed by an immigration officer, not a judge. An administrative warrant does not authorize ICE to enter your home without your consent. You do not have to open the door. Ask through the door which type of warrant they have. If it is administrative, you are not required to let them in.

During a traffic stop or street encounter

You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer questions about where you were born, your immigration history, or your status. You can say you are exercising your right to remain silent and want to speak to a lawyer. You can ask whether you are free to go. If the officer says yes, you may calmly leave.

Do not lie and do not provide false documents. Silence is a legal right. False statements are a separate crime. Many families carry a printed card asserting these rights. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center publishes know-your-rights cards in Arabic, Bangla, Dari, English, French, Kinyarwanda, and Pashto.

At your workplace

ICE may enter public areas of a workplace without a warrant. Private, non-public areas generally require a judicial warrant or employer consent. You have the right to remain silent in any workplace encounter.

Do not sign anything without a lawyer

Documents presented during an ICE arrest may include voluntary departure agreements or stipulated removal orders that waive your right to a hearing before an immigration judge. Do not sign anything without speaking to an attorney first.

Part 2: Michigan's 287(g) landscape - who has agreements and what they mean

Seven Michigan law enforcement agencies had 287(g) agreements with ICE as of late 2025 and early 2026. Understanding which model each uses and which are in your area is practical knowledge for Michigan families.

Task Force Model agreements - street-level enforcement

The City of Taylor Police Department signed the oldest active Michigan 287(g) agreement, a Task Force Model, in April 2025. The Roscommon County Sheriff and Crawford County Sheriff also signed Task Force Model agreements. Under the Task Force Model, trained and deputized officers can conduct immigration enforcement during routine policing - including traffic stops and community patrol - not just inside jails. Taylor Police Chief John Blair stated publicly that officers will contact ICE if a suspect is arrested and identified as undocumented. For residents of Taylor or communities policed by these departments, a routine traffic stop or minor arrest can escalate to ICE contact.

Jail Enforcement and Warrant Service Model agreements

Berrien, Calhoun, Genesee, and Jackson counties have 287(g) agreements under jail-based models. The Jail Enforcement Model allows jail staff to identify and process people in custody for immigration status. The Warrant Service Officer Model allows officers to serve administrative ICE warrants at the jail. An important documented nuance: Jackson County signed its agreement in March 2025 but had not yet completed the required federal training or deputization of personnel as of early 2026. A signed agreement does not mean immediately active enforcement - the agency's personnel must complete ICE training before they can exercise immigration enforcement authority.

Counties explicitly not cooperating

Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer has publicly stated that her agency does not participate in 287(g) and expressed concerns about the program's effect on community trust. Wayne County, which includes Detroit, has taken a non-cooperative posture with ICE civil enforcement. Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin has stated publicly that his officers do not work with immigration agents or ask people their status. Dearborn - home to the largest concentration of Arab American residents outside the Middle East - has been explicit about maintaining community trust.

Detroit became a Certified Welcoming city through Welcoming America in 2014 and has maintained a posture of not participating in civil immigration enforcement. Detroit police officers who called Border Patrol after traffic stops were reported to have broken municipal protocols.

Counties cooperating informally without formal agreements

Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham has stated publicly that deputies contact CBP if they determine someone at a traffic stop is undocumented. This informal cooperation does not require a 287(g) agreement and exists outside the formal 287(g) framework. Michigan state law does not prohibit this type of informal cooperation. Families in Macomb County should be aware that traffic stop encounters may result in CBP or ICE contact even without a formal agreement.

Part 3: The Michigan Supreme Court courthouse protection - effective May 1, 2026

The Michigan Supreme Court enacted a new court rule, effective May 1, 2026, prohibiting civil immigration arrests at courthouses. Under the rule, people on their way to, at, or leaving Michigan courthouses for legal proceedings - including subpoenaed witnesses, attorneys, jurors, and parties to proceedings - cannot be arrested for civil matters including civil immigration enforcement.

This rule was enacted as a court administration matter, not legislation. It addresses the documented pattern of ICE waiting at courthouses to arrest immigrants who appear for hearings, which had deterred witnesses and crime victims from participating in legal proceedings. Opponents called the rule a false assurance that could put local law enforcement in legal jeopardy. A federal ruling in late 2025 had found that a New York state law prohibiting such civil arrests at state courthouses was not unconstitutional.

The courthouse protection applies while you are traveling to, participating in, and leaving Michigan courthouses for legal proceedings. It does not apply outside that context. ICE can still conduct enforcement operations in public spaces near but not at courthouses.

Part 4: Michigan's diverse immigrant communities and specific risks

Michigan has three distinct major immigrant communities with different enforcement risk profiles.

The Arab American community in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights - the largest outside the Middle East - has been specifically engaged in know-your-rights education and faces enforcement attention. The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) was at the center of community response to enforcement fears in early 2025 and has been a resource for the community. Dearborn's police department explicitly does not participate in civil immigration enforcement, which provides meaningful protection for community encounters with local police. Other jurisdictions surrounding Dearborn, including Taylor, have 287(g) Task Force agreements.

Southwest Detroit's Latino community and farmworker communities across western Michigan face enforcement risk through both ICE direct operations and some informal local cooperation. The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center has documented that 1 in 10 clients comes through contact with local law enforcement, and that minor infractions like expired tags have led to immigration consequences since 2025. West Michigan agricultural communities - around Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and fruit-growing counties - include large seasonal and permanent immigrant worker populations.

Michigan's African and African immigrant communities, particularly Somali, Congolese, and West African communities in the Detroit metro area and Grand Rapids, have specific organizations serving them including the African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs (ABISA), which provides services in Wolof, French, English, Arabic, and Pulaar.

Part 5: What to do right now, before anything happens

Know your A-number and make sure trusted family members have it written down. MIRC maintains a list of Michigan and Ohio detention facilities with calling instructions, and the Vinelink database is often updated before the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Both resources are on the MIRC website.

Know which county you are in and whether its law enforcement has a 287(g) agreement or has publicly stated an informal cooperation posture. In Washtenaw, Wayne, and Dearborn, local police have stated postures of non-participation in civil immigration enforcement. In Taylor, Macomb County, and the seven 287(g) counties, encounters with local police carry higher risk of ICE involvement.

Carry the MIRC know-your-rights card. It is available in eight languages at michiganimmigrant.org and is designed to be handed to officers during an encounter.

Prepare guardianship documents for any children in your household. Set up a financial power of attorney so a trusted person can manage accounts and property if you are detained.

Part 6: Legal help and resources in Michigan

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) is the primary statewide immigration legal services organization and the most important first contact for detained immigrants and families facing enforcement. MIRC maintains a detained immigrant information line, county-specific calling instructions for detention facilities, and know-your-rights resources in eight languages. Their website is michiganimmigrant.org and their phone is (734) 239-6863.

The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) serves the Arab American community in metro Detroit and has been central to know-your-rights education and legal referral for that community. Their website is acrlmich.org.

The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center provides free and low-cost legal services in southeast Michigan to vulnerable immigrant communities. They serve approximately 1 in 10 clients who have come through contact with local law enforcement.

The African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs (ABISA) serves Black immigrant communities in metro Detroit in multiple languages. Contact: 313-774-7891 or purser@abisa.org.

Michigan United and the ACLU of Michigan are additional resources for advocacy and know-your-rights information.

For immigration court case information, call the EOIR automated line at 1-800-898-7180. To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov or Vinelink (which may be updated sooner). Michigan ICE detainees may be held at the Calhoun County Correctional Facility, the Chippewa County Correctional Facility, Monroe County Jail, North Lake Correctional Facility (Baldwin), or St. Clair County Jail, among others. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 if your person does not appear in the locator.

Immigration Advocates Network lists Michigan legal providers at immigrationadvocates.org.

Michigan has no statewide protection from local immigration enforcement cooperation, and the county you are in matters. Seven local agencies have 287(g) agreements. Macomb County sheriff deputies informally contact CBP. The Michigan Supreme Court's May 1, 2026 rule protects courthouse participants from civil immigration arrest. Detroit, Washtenaw County, and Dearborn have stated postures of non-participation in civil enforcement. Your federal constitutional rights apply in full regardless of which county you are in - an administrative warrant does not authorize entry to your home, your right to remain silent is unchanged, and you cannot be compelled to sign anything. Knowing your county's posture, carrying MIRC's know-your-rights card, and having MIRC's number saved are the practical foundations for protecting your family in Michigan.

This page reflects conditions as of mid-2026. The Michigan Supreme Court courthouse protection took effect May 1, 2026. Seven agencies had 287(g) agreements as of late 2025 and early 2026, with the count potentially growing. Verify current 287(g) agency list and any new state legislation with MIRC or the ACLU of Michigan.