Officials to think tank: Kent County is not a ‘sanctuary’ county
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Local leaders are telling an independent think tank to stop calling Kent County a “sanctuary” county.
In a Wednesday letter to the Center for Immigration, Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young and County Administrator/Controller Al Vanderberg said that “Kent County is not and has never been a sanctuary county.”
The Center for Immigration, which is based out of Washington, D.C., brands itself as a “non-partisan, non-profit, research organization” with a “pro-immigrant, low-immigration vision.” Its website shows it added Kent County to its list of so-called sanctuary cities, counties and states after the sheriff’s office said in 2019 that it would no longer hold people based only on a request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and that it would require a warrant signed by a federal judge.
LaJoye-Young and Vanderberg said in their letter that requiring a signed warrant “protects the civil liability” of the county and “ensures due process for all detainees.”
“Despite the absence of a formal agreement with ICE, the (sheriff’s office) has maintained consistent collaboration with ICE and all other law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of our community and to facilitate the secure transfer of all individuals of interest,” the letter reads in part.
PDF: Letter from sheriff and administrator
It goes on to say that Kent County allows ICE officers in the jail to question inmates, and that it tells ICE when it’s preparing to release someone against whom a detainer notice has been filed “and provide for a secure transfer of custody when ICE arrives.” It says that happened 26 times last year and 10 times so far this year.
“(T)he Kent County Board of Commissioners has not passed a resolution declaring Kent County a sanctuary county,” the letter also pointed out.
“The data clearly demonstrates the KCSO’s commitment to working collaboratively with ICE on all I-247 detainers or notice of intent requests to ensure public safety, due process, and the rule of law for all,” the letter concludes. “Consequently, we respectfully request the immediate removal of Kent County’s designation as a sanctuary county because it is factually inaccurate.”
LaJoye-Young told News 8 on Thursday that the letter was partially spurred by misinformation that was disseminated since the arrest of Brandon Ortiz-Vite for a March 22 murder in Grand Rapids. Ortiz-Vite reentered the United States illegally after being deported in 2020.
“We have never been and are not a sanctuary county,’’ LaJoye-Young said. “That designation is inaccurate.’’
The Republicans on the Kent County Board of Commissioners on Thursday issued a statement supporting the letter, saying it’s the latest of “several requests” that the Center for Immigration Studies remove the county from its list.
PDF: Statement from Kent County Commission Republican Caucus
“CIS continues to misrepresent Kent County as a sanctuary county on its website and other publications in an effort to advance its own agenda. The CIS uses criteria other than votes by elected officials, blurring county sovereignty and presenting unreliable media reports as the reason for their ‘sanctuary county’ label,” the statement reads in part. “We will not remain passive while outside institutions seek to place misdirected blame on our community, especially as the federal government’s inaction and incompetence stand in the way of meaningful policy solutions.”
In a social media post, Commissioner Ivan Diaz, a Democrat, said he was “deeply disappointed but sadly, not surprised” by the statement, which he said characterized immigrants “as some kind of ‘plague’ on our country.”
“At the beginning of every meeting, the same Commissioners who read from the Bible to profess their faith choose to paint immigrants as some kind of threat,” Diaz continued. “Doesn’t Luke 10:27 say that we must love our neighbors as we do ourselves?”
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