Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Washtenaw County, Michigan for Interfering with Federal Immigration Laws

Today, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the County of Washtenaw, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia M. Dyer, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Slavit, and the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, over Washtenaw County's policies, orders, and resolutions that promote aliens over citizens and obstruct the Executive's enforcement of our Nation's immigration laws.

Not only are Washtenaw County's "sanctuary" policies illegal under federal law, the policies shield criminal illegal aliens from apprehension by federal law enforcement. As alleged in the complaint, Washtenaw County's ban on cooperation with federal immigration authorities has resulted in the release onto American streets of dangerous criminals from police custody who would otherwise be subject to removal, including illegal aliens convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a child under thirteen years old, sexual assault, domestic violence, and DUI.

Washtenaw County's policies prioritize the illegal alien over the safety of its own American citizens. The County's failure to honor ICE detainers endangers the public and places federal officers at great risk. Illegal aliens, previously in Washtenaw County custody but released without being transferred to ICE custody, have been re-apprehended by federal officers only after the illegal aliens attempted to flee from federal officers both on foot and in vehicles. In at least one instance, an illegal alien rammed federal vehicles with his own in an attempt to escape. This chaos is entirely avoidable if Washtenaw County acted with common sense rather than political theater.

"Federal agents are risking their lives to keep Michigan citizens safe, and yet Washtenaw County's leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Counties may not deliberately interfere with our efforts to remove illegal aliens and arrest criminals - Washtenaw's sanctuary policies will not stand."

Today's lawsuit is the latest in a series of 14 other suits brought by the Department in the last year targeting illegal sanctuary policies across the country, including in New York, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Boston, and New Jersey.

Acting Attorney General Blanche has vowed to continue bringing litigation to end sanctuary policies nationwide. In keeping President Trump's campaign promise to the American people to heal our Nation from Biden's open-border policies, the Department will continue working to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal immigration laws or impede lawful federal immigration operations. "Our efforts will not end until every sanctuary city's lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Executive's duty to take care over immigration matters ceases," said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.