Michigan mayor says federal immigration authorities are 'terrorizing' people

Craig Mauger, The Detroit News on Jan 21, 2026

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DETROIT — Sterling Heights Mayor Michael C. Taylor blasted President Donald Trump's national deportation efforts Tuesday, saying, during a city council meeting, that federal authorities had been "terrorizing" peaceful communities and Trump's political opponents.

Taylor, a former Republican who is now a political independent, gave a fiery, 22-minute speech that focused on three individuals who were passengers in a vehicle that was stopped by Sterling Heights police on Jan. 9. The three people didn't have proper documentation to be in the U.S. and were held by local police until they were picked up by Border Patrol agents, Taylor said.

"I’ve been mayor for the last 11 years. I’ve been on the city council for 16 years," Taylor said. "During that period of time, I haven’t taken a strong interest in what the police department does because my assumption is that we have a functioning society, we have a functioning federal government, we have a federal government made up of people who care about the rights of the people in this country.

"I can say with complete certainty that is not the case anymore ... The current regime does not care about the Constitution. The current regime does not care about the laws."

Taylor cited a series of actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in other states, including using physical force against protesters, detaining a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant and the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota. Taylor said he was opposed to turning over anyone who is not a criminal and who is existing peacefully in Sterling Heights to "those monsters."

"I am absolutely dismayed at what this country has become, what we are accepting right in front of our own eyes, some of us out there cheering it on," Taylor said at one point during his Tuesday speech. "It sickens me. It disgusts me. I have never been less proud of this country."

His rebuke is significant because he is the mayor of Michigan's fourth-largest city and because he said he wants to pursue policy reforms to restrict connections between Sterling Heights and federal law enforcement.

Taylor said he wants Sterling Heights police officers to specifically advise people who are not accused of violating laws or are merely passengers in stopped vehicles that they have the constitutional right not to hand over their identification. He also said he wants to suspend the partnerships Sterling Heights has with federal agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“It’s not good enough to me that we would turn over anybody who is not a criminal, who is just peacefully existing here in our city to those monsters," Taylor said. "I won’t have it.”

Taylor said local police officials had voiced concerns about his idea of advising people of their ability to not hand over their IDs.

Sterling Heights is a diverse city in Macomb County. About 27% of its 134,000 residents were born outside the U.S., according to past Census data.

Trump, a Republican, ran for president in 2024, vowing to launch the largest deportation program in American history.

“This is country changing," said Trump during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids in April 2024 about a surge in migrants at the southern border. "It's country threatening. And it’s country wrecking. They have wrecked our country."

Since he took office in January 2025, Trump's administration has carried out more than 650,000 arrests, detentions, and deportations, according to the White House. During a press conference on Tuesday, Trump acknowledged that ICE is "going to make some mistakes."

"They deal with rough people," Trump added. "Are they going to make a mistake? Sometimes, it can happen."

ICE's press office didn't immediately reply to an email seeking a response to Taylor's comments.

On Tuesday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said ICE had arrested 7,000 gang members in the first year of Trump's second term.

"Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE is turbocharged to arrest even more gang members and make America safe again," Noem said.

In an interview Wednesday, Taylor said he couldn't remain silent as ICE is "terrorizing" people in the U.S. Asked whether he was concerned that his remarks could draw federal authorities to scrutinize Sterling Heights, Taylor acknowledged that part of him considered keeping his mouth shut.

"F--- that," Taylor told The Detroit News. "That is not courage. That is not leadership. That’s not taking decisive action. That’s being a coward."

A phone call seeking comment from the Sterling Heights Police Department wasn't immediately returned.

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