LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Livingston County’s political scene is heating up as Democrats clash with Republican Sheriff Mike Murphy and county commissioners over a proposed resolution targeting the documentation of undocumented immigrants.
Despite the sheriff’s claims about illegal immigration affecting his county, a recent Freedom of Information Act request reported by the Livingston Post revealed the following answer when asked if there have been any undocumented immigrants arrested in the past 18 months: “Livingston County has thoroughly reviewed its files and has certified that there are no responsive documents to your request. Our Jail Management System does not store or track illegal immigrants.”
The FOIA request, filed by a local resident and shared with the Livingston County Democratic Party, sought data on the arrests of undocumented immigrants from January 2023 to June 2024.
The FOIA response sheds light on why the county has no records regarding undocumented immigrants, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t involved in criminal activity. The explanation makes it clear: the data simply isn’t being documented – or tracked.
Nonexistent threats or just a lack of data?
Sheriff Murphy has appeared in a National Republican Senatorial Committee ad, claiming undocumented immigrants pose a threat to Michigan. “I see every day how illegal immigration has affected Michigan,” Murphy declares, pointing fingers at Democratic VP and presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin who is running to be Michigan’s next senator.
Judy Daubenmier, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, doesn’t believe what Murphy is saying and tells the Livingston Post, “It’s hard to see how he (Murphy) sees the impact of undocumented immigrants ‘every day’ when for 18 months there is no record of any arrests of such individuals.”
Murphy has responded to criticism that he’s lying and gave at least two examples to the Livington Daily of illegal immigrants involved in crimes and said, “There is no mechanism in place right now, under our current system, to track any illegals. 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.”
County Commission looking into requiring Sheriff to report illegal immigrant contacts.
The Livingston County Commission is considering a resolution, offered up by Republican Wes Nakagiri, that would require the Sheriff’s office to keep track of all contacts with illegal immigrants and report back to them.
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The resolution says: “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).”
This resolution would let the county know how undocumented immigrant crime is affecting their community. However, there are several problems with that strategy.
Tacking trouble: Nakagiri’s plan faces hurdles in Livingston County.
First, illegal immigrants are not required to answer questions about their immigration status or show any documentation to the police. On top of that, the commission has provided no specifics on how the Sheriff’s office will fund and implement this program, how officers will be trained, or whether officers will question everyone they stop about their immigration status. And what actions officers will take if an individual refuses to answer? Furthermore, there’s no guidance on how officers will verify whether someone is or isn’t in the country illegally. Additionally, it doesn’t list what data is being collected so it could cover all contacts including crime victims.
Michigan News Source reached out to other law enforcement agencies in Michigan to see what their policies are on the subject. The Detroit Police Department responded by saying, “The department does not ask the immigration status of people suspected, arrested or convicted for crimes. We do not track that information.”
The ACLU says on their website that illegal immigrants don’t have to discuss their status with anyone and they give this advice to the foreigners on their website: “You have the right to remain silent and do not have to discuss your immigration or citizenship status with police, immigration agents, or other officials. Anything you tell an officer can later be used against you in immigration court.”
Therefore, there is currently no available data on the number of crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Michigan or elsewhere in the country. This lack of information was most likely anticipated by the Democratic Party-connected individual when they filed their FOIA request, potentially viewing it as a way to seek “information” to support a targeted stance on the issue.
Do Democrats really want the data or not?
Furthermore, the very folks who were most likely seeking the data on undocumented immigrant crime in Livingston County also seem to be opposed to the collection of such data. Opponents of Nakagiri’s resolution which was passed unanimously by the Livington County’s Committee on Courts, Public Safety and Infrastructure Development earlier in the month, see it as a way to document the illegal immigrant for Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans if he’s elected.
Daubenmier, who calls the resolution a “show me your papers” proposal, says it has the potential to result in racial profiling. This begs the question… do the Democrats actually want to know how many illegal immigrants are committing crimes or don’t they?
The county’s public safety committee referred the resolution to the full board of commissioners which meets on September 23rd.
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