Washtenaw County Is Being Sued By Trump's Department Of Justice Over Immigrant Protection Policies

Michigan Advance

April 10, 2026

Federal law enforcement officials have filed a new legal challenge to Washtenaw County’s policies that prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining immigrants in county-owned buildings and prohibit the sharing of information that could lead to detentions, according to the lawsuit.

Filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, USA v. Washtenaw County states that President Donald Trump issued a national emergency at the southern border, which was the precursor to his administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement across the nation.

Policies adopted by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, County Prosecutor Eli Savit, and Sheriff Alyshia Dyer to protect immigrants from detention on county property—and to deny the federal government access to related information—have shielded “criminal offenders from apprehension by federal law enforcement,” the lawsuit said.

"Washtenaw County’s policies aim to obstruct federal law enforcement and celebrate thwarting the constitutional obligation of the President of the United States to take care that federal immigration law be faithfully executed,” the complaint said. “Such blatant disregard for federal laws that have been on the books for over three decades is not merely a political statement but is also deliberate action that jeopardizes the public safety of all Americans. These actions and more by Washtenaw County officials flout the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, which prohibits state, county, city, or other local governments from usurping congressional authority. Accordingly, the United States files this action to preserve the integrity of federal law penned by Congress aimed at securing the safety and flourishing of our Nation.”

Washtenaw County was not on a list published by the federal government of alleged sanctuary cities, counties or states, but the lawsuit essentially labels Washtenaw’s policies as such.

The lawsuit also questions the county’s policy calling for ICE agents to produce judicial warrants if the agency needed to engage in enforcement actions on county properties, noting that “such warrants are not required by federal law.”

“Following the issuance of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office General Order, the County continues to decline to honor ICE detainer requests and does not participate in the Section 287(g) program,” the complaint said, referencing formal cooperation agreements with ICE, which according to the agency’s website, “delegate state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight.”

“Such consequences not only harm the federal officers working to enforce the immigration laws, but they also harm the public at large,” the lawsuit said. “When resources between law enforcement agencies are combined, the positive effect is not cumulative, but exponential.”

The complaint went on to note that ICE’s goal was to “mend the relationship with the County, and that the agency hoped that the measures would be only temporary,” but that as a result of the actions by Washtenaw County officials, the ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations, referred to as ERO, have experienced numerous negative impacts, including “releases from Washtenaw County custody, delays in enforcement actions, and additional use of resources.”

The federal government is asking U.S. District Judge Robert White of the Eastern District of Michigan to allow ICE and federal law enforcement to do their work without hindrance under the Supremacy Clause and to compel Savit to follow his duty to cooperate with federal officials. The lawsuit also claims the county has enacted unlawful discrimination against the federal government, and ICE is asking White to end that alleged discrimination.

A permanent injunction has been requested blocking the county from enforcing the policy, as well as a judgment from the court overturning the policy writ large.

The county and its officials have yet to respond to the complaint, according to the federal court’s register of actions. A request for comment was also sent to the Washtenaw County administrator’s office, but has yet to be returned.

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