(The Center Square) – The Detroit Police Department has suspended two officers for coordinating with federal immigration authorities.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison made the announcement regarding the incidents last week – one of which happened on Dec. 16 and the other Feb. 9.
“I will say this to everyone. . . 98, 99% do it the right way each and every day, they’re out there working hard,” Bettison said. “But I do have the 1, 2% that decide to violate our rules, our policies, and our procedures. And to those officers, I will hold them accountable.”
The department has an internal policy that restricts officers from contacting federal immigration authorities.
First Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald told the Detroit City Council on Tuesday that two officers took it upon themselves to contact U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, something that was discovered following the department’s review of body camera footage.
In both incidents, the suspected illegal immigrants were detained by federal immigration authorities.
“We’re not in the immigration business at DPD, we never have and never will,” Fitzgerald said.
Republican lawmakers found this position by the department concerning.
“Sanctuary cities have no place in Michigan,” Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, told The Center Square. “If Detroit’s police chief isn’t interested in keeping his community safe, he should find a new job.”
Yet, in a memo released by the Detroit City Council, its legal council takes the position that Detroit is not a “sanctuary city.”
“The City of Detroit has not declared itself a sanctuary city,” the memo stated. “However, the City has ordinance provisions that generally prohibit the City’s police officers and other employees from soliciting information from individuals pertaining to their immigration status.”
Bettison explained last week that, “we do not” enforce immigration laws. “That’s against our policies, our rules, our procedures.”
That same city memo included a report on the Detroit Police Department’s interactions with federal immigration authorities in 2025. It found that zero department funding was used for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities, including no data sharing or voluntary providing of information.
The Department of Homeland Security issued 63 detainers for those arrested by the department. Of those, 28 were actually picked up by federal officials.
For the two officers now under suspension, Bettison has recommended they be suspended without pay. That will require a decision from the Police Board of Commissioners, who are meeting on Thursday.
“I intend to terminate them,” Bettison said last week.
That will require a command hearing, which can take a few weeks to move forward with.
