Senate bills would address unchecked immigration enforcement

A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.

In early 2025, the Trump administration framed mass deportation as a public safety initiative, repeatedly ignoring court orders and broadening authority in ways that erode constitutional limits on executive power. But the operational policies that defined the program created the conditions for foreseeable chaos and violence, resulting in the tragic killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good in Minneapolis, as well as 32 others in detention centers and around the nation. Americans must now contend with a crisis of accountability that is chipping away at the rule of law and leaving us all with less safety and freedom. A recent package of bills in Michigan seeks to restore the guardrails that prevent civic life from becoming collateral damage.

Public safety is about more than the capabilities of law enforcement; it’s about recognizing public trust as the foundation for effective policing. That trust is quickly fading as the mismatch between the administration’s stated public-safety rationale and the mass deportation program’s real-world actions grows starker. The so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed last year poured unprecedented resources into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to pursue the “worst of the worst.” Yet, 86% of its Michigan detainees have “no threat level” according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data. 

Instead, the tactics of extremist immigration enforcement have collided with fundamental constitutional principles, including aggressive policing of peaceful protest, warrantless stops and home invasion, racial profiling so pervasive that even off-duty Minneapolis police report being accosted, and documented cases of legal status holders detained or deported without due process. 

At the same time, accountability mechanisms are failing. One federal judge noted that in January alone, ICE defied more court orders than most federal agencies have in their entire existence. And historically, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been arrested for misconduct at roughly five times the rate reported across other federal law enforcement agencies. The Government Accountability Office has recommended that DHS, which houses ICE and CBP, needs stronger use-of-force data collection and analysis across its law enforcement components. 

Testimony in the Michigan Senate on Nov. 9, 2025, and Jan. 29, 2026 has highlighted the negative impacts that this mass deportation campaign has had on public institutions and programs. This federal program has created a climate of fear, with agents showing up in schools, churches, hospitals and other civic spaces, likely discouraging residents from seeking medical attention or reporting crimes like domestic violence. Detroit council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said one school in Detroit has seen attendance decline by 50% in the past year. 

Along with many other states across the nation, Michigan lawmakers are considering bills that can help restore trust and protect residents through transparency and accountability. The first of these bills, Senate Bill (SB) 508, would effectively reinstitute the DHS “sensitive locations policy,” which limits immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals, and places of worship without a judicial warrant, and protects those spaces from becoming sites of aggressive raids and family separation. 

Importantly, the problems associated with today’s immigration enforcement are built on another betrayal of public trust: the seizure of data collected for public services used to target immigrants. Not only does this chill access to services and participation in civic institutions that rely on voluntary compliance, including the tax system, but also government data being repurposed for enforcement is often outdated or error-ridden, which raises the risk of wrongful stops and even the detention of U.S. citizens. Moreover, ICE is hoovering up information to track individuals with viewpoints the administration dislikes. Michigan SB 509 would prohibit government entities from providing an individual’s identifying information for immigration enforcement purposes without a judicial warrant. 

Senate Bill 510 would limit masking — a practice that can increase aggressive behavior — and require proper identification during enforcement, which is a standard that nearly all law enforcement abides by. Former acting ICE Director John Sandweg called masked enforcement “incredibly dangerous” because arrestees may resist and bystanders may intervene, mistaking arrests for kidnappings. During a Michigan Senate committee hearing, former Detroit Police Chief Ike McKinnon lamented the practice as problematic, noting that a lack of identification creates the conditions for blue-on-blue use-of-force mistakes.   

Like similar campaigns of the past, aggressive enforcement has spilled over into mainstream society. But the scale of constitutional violations and the breakdown of accountability and trust that keeps society functioning is unique. SB 508-510 will put enforcement back within constitutional boundaries by requiring warrants, proper identification, and judicial oversight before state data can be shared.