Grand Rapids, Mich. — A heated debate unfolded at a Grand Rapids City Commission meeting Tuesday night as concerned residents urged commissioners to designate the city as a sanctuary city. The call for sanctuary status comes after nearly 2,000 emails and letters of support were sent to city officials in the past week, highlighting growing fear and anxiety within the immigrant community.
The concept of a sanctuary city has no formal legal definition but generally refers to policies that limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, particularly U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Activists and community members who spoke at the meeting emphasized that such a designation would be a public declaration of solidarity with immigrants, protecting them from the threat of mass deportations under the current federal administration.
Jeff Smith, an organizer with Grand Rapids Rapid Response to ICE, explained that declaring the city a sanctuary would send a strong message to the immigrant community. “It’s a way of making a public statement that we in no way will support the threat of mass deportations,” Smith said.
Gema Lowe, an organizer with Movimiento Cosecha, echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of not equating a person’s character with their immigration status. “A character of a person is not tied to their immigration status,” Lowe said. “Either they’re a good person or a bad person. It doesn’t matter about their immigration status.”
Recent weeks have seen an increase in fear within the immigrant community, fueled by rumors and false reports of ICE agents appearing near schools, grocery stores, and workplaces. Lowe described the pervasive panic as impacting both mental and physical health, not just for undocumented individuals, but also for their families.
The issue of immigration and local law enforcement cooperation has been contentious in Grand Rapids before. In 2018, pro-immigrant groups disrupted city commission meetings to protest Kent County’s contract with ICE. That contract was not renewed, and it officially ended in September 2019.
Smith indicated that while direct action was not part of the plan for this meeting, it remained a potential tactic in the future. “For us, that is a legitimate, viable, nonviolent tactic that we may or may not use in the future,” he said.
Tuesday night’s meeting, which lasted more than four hours, saw a standing-room-only crowd, with about 100 people forced to watch the proceedings from an overflow room downstairs. The city manager opened the meeting by referencing the Grand Rapids Police Department’s 2019 policy, which prohibits officers from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status.
As public comments began, emotions ran high, with several speakers sharing personal stories of fear and uncertainty. One commenter, speaking directly to the commission, stated, “Families belong together, not separated. And you have the power to say ‘No, we’re not going to accept racism into this town. ICE will not come here. The police will not associate with them.’”
Many immigrant residents, some of whom have lived in Grand Rapids for decades, expressed a desire for the city to take further action to alleviate the fears surrounding deportation. They called on commissioners to adopt a stronger stance in defense of their rights and security.
However, not all comments were in support of the sanctuary city proposal. A few residents voiced concerns about the legal implications, with one commenter stating, “This is not a moral issue, it is a legal one. There’s simply no control over our immigration system, and that is not a way for a city or a country to function.”
In response to the public outcry, Mayor Rosalynn LaGrand acknowledged the importance of the issue, but pointed out that the sanctuary city designation itself lacks legal authority. Commissioners are now focusing on alternative ways they can support the community and provide assurance to immigrant residents.
City officials reiterated that Grand Rapids police will not ask about a person’s immigration status, emphasizing that their focus is on community safety and inclusion. The meeting concluded with a promise from commissioners to continue exploring ways to support all residents, regardless of their immigration status.
