Mayor questions city’s ties to federal law agencies

STERLING HEIGHTS — Mayor Michael Taylor is standing by his call to end police department partnerships with federal agencies but acknowledges his push lacks support from the City Council.

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks since Taylor delivered a fiery address at the close of the Jan. 20 Sterling Heights City Council meeting, where he raised questions about police conduct during a Jan. 10 encounter with a carload of individuals who reportedly entered the country illegally. Taylor blasted activity happening nationwide under the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

The mayor’s comments have drawn widespread media attention and plenty of feedback on social media channels. Sterling Heights police have also pushed back on the mayor’s demand to withdraw from participation with federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.

Taylor has loudly and repeatedly criticized the federal government’s aggressive approach to apprehending and deporting what the government says are illegal immigrants during President Donald Trump’s second term in office. Taylor said he is appalled at the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in states like Minnesota, where ICE has been involved in the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizen protesters.

“I'm absolutely dismayed at what this country has become,” Taylor said at the Jan. 20 meeting. “What we are accepting, right in front of our own eyes. … It sickens me. 
It disgusts me. I've never been less proud of this country. I've never been less proud to be an American. 
I think that this country is an absolute disgrace.”

Taylor first questioned the city’s involvement with federal law enforcement in November when he requested information about the agencies with which the Sterling Heights Police Department partners by sharing officers and how those arrangements benefit the city.

In a Jan. 5 interview with The Sentry, Taylor talked about his opposition to the presence of ICE and National Guard troops in various American cities.

“I've seen news stories and I've seen videos of how federal agents, particularly ICE agents, are terrorizing neighborhoods and I don’t agree with the policies of this administration when it comes to apprehending people and deporting them for minor or nonexistent issues,” he said.

He furthermore questioned whether the federal government’s policy targeting non-citizens is compatible with Sterling Heights’ reputation as a welcoming and diverse city.

“I think it's important for us as a city to determine whether our interests and our values are aligned with organizations that we’re partnering with,” he said. “We wouldn't partner with an organization if their values were completely misaligned with ours. And so what I sense is that the values that we stand for in Sterling Heights — inclusiveness, being a welcoming community, following the rule of law, having a legal basis for doing the things that we're doing — I don't see that the federal government is a partner whose values are aligned with ours right now.”

The mayor’s ire increased by the Jan. 20 council meeting, where he demanded an end to the city’s participation with federal authorities.

“We have four police officers that work full time, that are on loan to (federal agencies),” he said. “I want those officers back in Sterling Heights. 
I want those partnerships ended and I want those officers back in Sterling Heights working here.” 

Taylor’s call for terminating the Police Department’s resource-sharing agreements with federal agencies followed his description of a Jan. 10 incident where four individuals were turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities after a traffic stop in Sterling Heights.

Although Taylor said it was proper for police to remand the vehicle’s driver — who was in the U.S. illegally after being previously deported — to the U.S. Border Patrol, he objected to the police interaction with the passengers.

“The passengers in the vehicle are not required to provide their identification,” Taylor said. “
They are protected under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the officers did not suspect them of doing anything wrong. That is, they had no probable cause. They had no reasonable suspicion.”

Taylor said police leadership told him officers routinely request identification under such circumstances and that it’s useful for apprehending individuals who are suspected of violating the law.

A social media post from the U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Station confirmed that on Jan. 10, four “illegal aliens from Guatemala” were arrested during a traffic stop in Sterling Heights and were scheduled to be deported.

“When our Police Department hands people over to Border Patrol or ICE or Homeland Security, we are deliberately putting them in harm’s way,” Taylor said at the Jan. 20 meeting.

 

City responds to controversy

With the mayor’s comments drawing a media spotlight, the city issued a Jan. 27 statement addressing the Police Department’s on-the-road interactions with the public. 

“Sterling Heights has maintained a consistent policy regarding traffic stops: all individuals are treated equally and with respect, regardless of immigration status. Our officers do not engage in racial or ethnic profiling, nor do they participate in immigration enforcement. Our focus remains solely on addressing crime that may impact our local community,” the city said in its statement. 

The statement continued, “Our policy has recently been clarified to re-emphasize that if a driver is arrested and/or held for an outstanding warrant from another agency as a result of a traffic stop, passengers that are not involved in any criminal activity and do not have an arrest warrant, regardless of immigration status, are not held by the Sterling Heights Police Department longer than the time necessary to complete the traffic stop. This practice is consistent with any vehicle stop that leads to a driver's arrest.

“The City Council and City Administration share the mayor’s compassionate and humanistic position regarding our country’s current immigration enforcement actions. In fact, equitable public safety is a guiding principle for our organization. With respect to existing federal partnerships, City Administration will continue to engage in ongoing dialogue with the Mayor and City Council unless and until any changes are formally considered,” the city said in the statement. 

While it’s unlikely that any change in the Police Department’s relationship with federal partners is forthcoming, Taylor said he’ll continue making his case to his fellow elected officials. 

“Look, I think that my colleagues have made it clear that they don’t support me on that,” he said. “I respect their opinion. I'm going to work on trying to change their minds, but I’m not going to do it in a way that ruins my relationship with them. We’ll see what happens nationally, but I think for now I've made my point.” 

Councilman Henry Yanez said it’s not useful for Sterling Heights to make changes to local policies that protect residents due to national politics and outside conflicts.

“We have to do whatever we can to be effective and efficient while still being respectful of people’s rights,” he said. “I can’t allow what’s going on in Minnesota right now — or what this administration is doing right now — to impact the success that we’ve had taking drugs and guns off the street and protecting our neighbors.”

Call Staff Writer Gary Winkelman at (586) 498-1070.