Michigan Senate GOP: Penalize counties that don’t cooperate with ICE
By: Jonathan Oosting, The Detroit News
LANSING, Mich. — Senate Republicans are proposing financial penalties for Michigan counties that fail to fully cooperate with detainment requests by federal immigration authorities, setting up a state and local clash on the national issue.
Democrats objected to the Senate Corrections Budget, which would withhold jail funding for any county that enacts or enforces a rule that limits communication or cooperation with federal immigration officials. The Michigan Department of Corrections also opposes the language and fears it could have broader budget impacts.
But the penalty provisions designed to encourage county sheriffs to cooperate with federal authorities responsible for deporting immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally, said Sen. Tom Barrett, the Potterville Republican who chairs the corrections budget subcommittee.
