HOWELL (WWJ) -- A controversial resolution has been passed in one Michigan county, concerning people who are living and working the U.S. illegally.
The Livingston County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to allow the Livingston County Sheriff's Office to monitor all interactions with undocumented immigrants — including people who are suspects, witnesses, or victims of crimes.
WWJ's Charlie Langton reports there's been much opposition to the proposal, including from the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU said that tracking immigrants is not the business of local law enforcement, and that enforcement of this ordinance could violate state and federal law.
Sheriff Michael Murphy claims, however, that this is no different from the sheriff's department being mandated to keep demographic statistics on sex or race.
"We do have illegal immigrants here," Murphy said. "Can you say that they're all criminals? Of course not. Can you say that they're all here committing traffic offenses? Of course not. But to say that, you know, it doesn't exist or we shouldn't keep track... I think it does exist and we do need to keep track do that we can better understand the problem."
Murphy said he reached out to several local police departments to see if they have had any run-ins with undocumented immigrants, rattling off a few: "Pickney PD: four illegal immigrants here doing roof work; that was earlier this year on a traffic stop. Brighton PD: July of this year...Again, an illegal using a cell phone caused an accident, sent a person to the hospital."
Langton reports the resolution passed after nearly two hours of public comment on Monday evening. Protesting residents cited a lack of resources to carry out this monitoring, impracticality, and safety concerns for immigrants.
The commissioners received pushback from residents who say it will make the county less safe, as immigrants will be less likely to report crimes.
The Livingston Daily reports several commenters tied the resolution to a history of racism in Livingston County, a reputation that started decades ago after former KKK Grand Dragon Robert Miles moved to a farm north of Howell.