The Metro: ICE is destroying the America Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor loves
Political leaders across Michigan are weighing how local law enforcement should interact with immigration agents. While some have held their tongues on the issue, others have refused to be so silent.
Roughly 1,000 anti-Donald Trump protesters marched down Trumbull Avenue to Detroit Public Safety on January 13, 2026, just days after the killing of Renee Good by federal immigration officer Jonathan Ross.
Across Michigan, city leaders and police chiefs are asking the same question: how should they work with federal immigration officers?
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been active across southeast Michigan, including in Livonia, Ypsilanti, Detroit, and other cities. ICE detention centers have been proposed in Highland Park and Romulus. We already know some of the outcomes.
In Michigan, from January to October of last year, ICE arrested over 2,300 people and detained almost the same amount, according to the Deportation Data Project. That number has nearly tripled since the year prior.
Some city council members in Michigan have called for limitations on ICE and have supported state bills aimed at that exactly. But many Michigan mayors have remained silent on the issue.
That’s not the case for Michael Taylor. He’s the mayor of Sterling Heights, where nearly 28% of residents are immigrants. He’s recently made headlines for wanting his city’s police department to separate itself from federal agents.
He spoke with Robyn Vincent about what kinds of ICE policies he thinks Michigan cities should have.
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