Detroit, MI Immigration Policy: Sanctuary Policy Preemption (2026)
Key Facts
- Covers
- All police officers and public servants
- Police exception
- Only violent-felony investigations
- Non-police exception
- Law-required or I-9 hiring paperwork
- Enforcement
- Human Rights Department complaint process
- Last amended
- Ord. No. 2020-11, eff. 7-17-2020
Summary
Detroit City Code prohibits police officers and all other public servants from asking about a person's immigration status, except when relevant to investigating or prosecuting a violent felony, or when a specific law requires it.
A public servant who is a police officer: (1) Shall not solicit information concerning immigration status for the purpose of ascertaining a person's compliance with federal immigration law; or (2) Shall not solicit information concerning immigration status from a person who is seeking police services, or is a victim, or is a witness; or (3) Shall not subject a person to a higher level of scrutiny or to different treatment should a person utilize a passport or municipal identification card as a form of identification.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Under Detroit City Code § 23-8-5, police officers cannot solicit immigration status to check federal compliance, from crime victims or witnesses, or to justify extra scrutiny of someone using a passport or municipal ID: except when investigating or prosecuting a violent felony. Section 23-8-6 extends the same bar to every other public servant, with exceptions only for information a specific law or program requires as a condition of eligibility, or for federal I-9 employment verification. Complaints go to the Human Rights Department, and officer violations route to the Board of Police Commissioners.
Violations & Fines
Violations are civil, not criminal: complaints go to the Human Rights Department, and confirmed violations can trigger discipline, forfeiture proceedings, or removal under City Charter §§ 2-107 and 7-803.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Detroit police ask about someone's immigration status?
Does this apply to non-police City employees too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Detroit
Compare Detroit to another location·View the Michigan immigration policy overview
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