(Elyse S. Apel, The Center Square) As Michigan lawmakers propose dueling legislation on immigration, recent reports found that fewer than 1,000 illegal immigrants have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Great Lakes State this year.
While Democrats continue to express fear of mass deportations throughout the nation, in reality, deportations are still far from the Trump administration’s goal of 1 million per year.
In fact, data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law found that, from Inauguration Day through the end of June, 940 people were detained by ICE in Michigan.
While nearly more than the 951 people detained in all of last year, it is still far from President Donald Trump’s call for “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
Still, under Trump, the daily average of ICE arrests in Michigan are up 154% over last year, with the surge largely driven by arrests of illegal immigrants with no criminal record.
State Legislation
This year, the Michigan Legislature has introduced at least 10 separate immigration-related measures.
Those include a number of state Senate and House bills, as well as a couple different House Resolutions, like House Resolution 19 which The Center Square previously reported on.
With a Republican-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate, it is unlikely much of the legislation will make it far, though some has received slim bipartisan support.
One of the proposed bills would mandate different entities like the Michigan Department of Corrections track citizenship status, while another would bar illegal immigrants from receiving social welfare services.
Republicans argue the legislation is necessary to protect taxpayer money and ensure cooperation with federal officials.
“All should be welcome to come to the U.S. if they use lawfully available immigration pathways,” said state Senator Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, of legislation he proposed earlier this year. “Unfortunately, much of the immigration in recent years has been illegal, and there is a right and duty to secure our nation’s borders to improve public safety.”
Cooperation with ICE
While Michigan is not considered a sanctuary state and no city officially claims sanctuary status in 2025, federal officials have labeled several Michigan cities as “sanctuary jurisdictions.”
In May, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a list of 500-plus so-called sanctuary jurisdictions nationwide that could face funding cuts. In Michigan, six counties and two cities were included on that list.
Many of the proposed bills would, in various ways, require cities and counties to comply with ICE or verify citizenship status for all criminal offenders.
On the national stage, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, proposed legislation requiring immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification and prohibit face coverings.
State Rep. Matt Hall, speaker of the House, responded to similar legislation proposed in July by Michigan House Democrats.
“The Michigan House will never pass this attack on law enforcement. The people want these dangerous criminal aliens off our street, and we are doing everything we can to partner with the Trump administration and put an end to illegal immigration,” Hall said. “Democrats will do everything they can to get in the way of local police and ICE, because they’ve always cared more about criminals than victims.”
Illegal Immigrants in Michigan
In Michigan, international migration has driven population growth in the past few years.
Michigan has more than 110,700 “undocumented immigrants,” according to the American Immigration Council. They make up 15% of the total immigrant population in the state, which totals 740,000.
While the council states that 110,700 of the immigrant population are undocumented, it also reports that only 55.9%, or 413,800, of the total immigrant population in the state are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Immigration advocates argue mass deportations could have a negative impact on the economy.
“Immigrants help increase wealth and prosperity for all Americans,” said Nan Wu, director of research at the American Immigration Council. “Immigrants have paid up the hard-earned tax dollars that are now going to be used to punish all Americans through a wasteful and cruel mass deportation plan.”
Yet, a 2024 report from the House Committee on the Budget found that illegal immigrants are a “net fiscal drain, meaning they receive more in government services than they pay in taxes.”
