(This story was updated to add new information.)
LIVINGSTON COUNTY — The Livingston County Sheriff's Office will now track interactions with "illegal" immigrants "no matter the nature of the contact." That includes as suspects, as witnesses, when pulled over, or as victims.
The Livingston County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the controversial resolution on Monday, Sept. 23, after listening to nearly two hours of public comment, during which the vast majority of speakers opposed the resolution.
Commissioner Martin Smith was absent.
During public comment, Ellie Jordan, managing attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said, "I grew up here in Livingston County, and I know that it's a county that's really full of caring people, that's why I was so saddened to see (this) resolution.
"I'm asking for this commission to reconsider for two reasons. First, this resolution will make Livingston County less safe. If the resolution passes, immigrant witnesses and victims will be less likely to report crimes, regardless of their own legal status. Also, when police track immigration-related civil infractions, they have less time and resources to address serious criminal matters.
"As an attorney with 13 years of experience working with survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault, I see the chilling effect these kinds of policies have. All of us are less safe when our friends and neighbors can't call the police.
"... Second, the resolution is impractical and will waste taxpayer dollars. Livingston County would be the first in Michigan to pass such an extreme measure. Most communities recognize the risks, including potential lawsuits, (because) this policy would force officers to choose between upholding the resolution and supporting the Constitution."
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.
Commissioner Wes Nakagiri responded to those comments Monday.
“Bob Miles, and I've researched the history, was the campaign manager in the state of Michigan when George Wallace, another racist, big time racist, ran for the Democratic nomination for president,” he said.
In fact, Miles ran Wallace's campaign in Michigan in 1968, when Wallace ran as a candidate for the American Independent Party. He attempted to earn the Democratic nomination three times before then, but failed. He survived an assassination attempt and went on to reverse his stance on many divisive issues he once supported.
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Nakagiri continued: “So when people reference the KKK and Bob Miles was also from Cohoctah Township, was the head of the KKK, what they failed to mention is that Bob Miles was a Democrat — and you know, one of the reasons that we don't have that type of racist behavior in this county is because we don't have any Democrats in power anymore.”
And yet, in mid-August, the county's third white supremacist demonstration of 2024 took place near a stretch of businesses in Brighton. The first two demonstrations happened in Howell in July, as former president Donald Trump rallied 90 minutes away in Grand Rapids. During at least one of the incidents, participants yelled: "We love Hitler. We love Trump."
The demonstration in Brighton camethe same day Trump announcedhe would deliver remarks on crime and safety at LCSO in Howell on Tuesday, Aug. 20. During his address, Trump railed against undocumented immigrants, citing falsely inflated crime stats. LCSO and Sheriff Mike Murphy are now under investigation by the Michigan Bureau of Elections for possible campaign finance violations.
The Michigan Campaign Finance Act, under section 169.257, makes the use of public resources to support a political candidate a crime, including funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationery, postage, vehicles, equipment and supplies.
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During his speech,Trump claimed violent crime has increased 43% since Vice President Kamala Harris took office. According to FBI data, that's not true. While there was a spike of violent crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, those numbers have been dropping nationally and in Michigan.
But the focus on undocumented immigrants has remained, including claims from Trump during a recent debate with Harris that immigrants are "eating the dogs" and "eating the cats" in Springfield, Ohio. As of Monday, Sept. 23, there was no evidence those claims are true — but the immigrant population in the city has suffered threats and discrimination in the aftermath.
Shortly after Trump's visit to Howell, the Livingston County Courts, Public Safety and Infrastructure Development Committee unanimously passed a resolution requiring LCSO to document all interactions with "illegal" immigrants.
The committee is chaired by Commissioner Douglas Helzerman, who is joined by Nakagiri, Dave Domas and Nick Fiani.
“Whereas citizens continue to express concerns about illegal immigration and its associated increase in crime, and whereas, ignoring these concerns, Border Czar Kamala Harris has permitted millions of illegal immigrants to cross our borders, and whereas, though largely denied and underreported by major media organizations, these illegal immigrants have contributed to an increase in crime, and whereas, this increased criminal activity is not just isolated to southern border states ... ” the resolution reads.
" ... Therefore be it resolved, that in cooperation with the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, the Livingston County Sheriff's Office will document contacts with illegal immigrants regardless of the nature of the contact, and provide periodic reports of these contacts to the (board)."
The resolution is intended to collect data to “better assess the impact of illegal immigration.”
Murphy responded to criticism over the resolution in an interview with The Daily and in a video shared to LCSO's social media page.
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“There is no mechanism in place right now, under our current system, to track any illegals,” Murphy told The Daily last week. “So, anything that we know is just kind of anecdotal, because we know, in other words, when my guys arrest somebody that's an illegal, undocumented, we contact ICE and they do their thing, whether they come pick them up or whether they don't, which 99.9% of the time they don't.
“So my motivation, frankly, is to better understand the problem. It's just that simple. I have been asked probably in the last six months, at least every other day, ‘Hey, do we really have a huge problem here?’”
Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, says no. She released a statement earlier this month accusing Murphy of "lying about the immigration problem."
Daubenmier cited a Freedom of Information Act request filed by an unnamed resident that sought “the number, by month, of illegal immigrants, arrested in Livingston County, for crimes committed from January 2023 to June 2024.”
The request was denied because the county doesn't currently track the immigration status of suspects.
“It’s hard to see how (Murphy) sees the impact of undocumented immigrants ‘every day’ when, for 18 months, there is no record of any arrests of such individuals,” Daubenmier wrote in a statement.
When asked by The Daily whom he considers to be an "illegal immigrant," Murphy said: “My definition would simply be this — if ... you've been here more than three months (without paperwork), you're an illegal.
“You have no business being here. Within three months of entering this country, if you've not been able to find a way to immigration, to seek asylum, to do it the right way, to get paperwork, then you're up to no good. Either you want to fly under the radar and take American jobs and work for cash under the table or you're up to something more nefarious. There's no other explanation.”
During public comment on Monday, Caitlyn Perry Dial of Brighton told the Livingston County Board: "This policy is not only wrong, it is also ineffective. It will not make our county safer, nor will it solve the complex issue of immigration. Instead, it will create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, alienating entire communities.
"I understand the concerns about illegal immigration, but we must address this issue with compassion and respect for rule of law. Racial profiling is not the answer. It is a discriminatory shortcut that will will only make matters worse. It will confirm the worst suspicions about our county and tarnish and continue to tarnish our reputation."
— Contact reporter Tess Ware attware@livingstondaily.com.