Crime & Safety
Washtenaw County, MI: ICE Arrest Draws Crowd, Sheriff Responds
Ypsilanti Township, MI – A federal immigration enforcement action drew a crowd Wednesday morning in Ypsilanti Township, prompting a 911 call from ICE agents and a response from Washtenaw County sherif
By Jenna Hartley · 2026-09-30T21:42:41.892Z
Ypsilanti Township, MI – A federal immigration enforcement action drew a crowd Wednesday morning in Ypsilanti Township, prompting a 911 call from ICE agents and a response from Washtenaw County sheriff ’s deputies.
According to a Sept. 30 statement from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Dispatch received a call around 7:30 a.m. from a community member reporting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were making an arrest at 2190 West Michigan Avenue .
The sheriff’s office said community members gathered at the location. Authorities later learned that someone showed agents a green card for one person who had been detained, and ICE then released that person at the scene.
Shortly afterward, ICE agents called 911 and requested assistance from local law enforcement, according to the sheriff’s statement. The agents reported that people in the crowd were preventing them from leaving and that they considered the situation unsafe.
Sheriff’s deputies responded, and the situation calmed before ICE agents left the location, the office said. Deputies cleared the scene shortly afterward.
Sheriff Alyshia M. Dyer said county deputies did not participate in any immigration enforcement action. She also said the department does not honor voluntary ICE detainers or cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, while noting deputies may respond when 911 calls involve safety concerns or escalating situations.
The sheriff’s office urged community members to protest peacefully while avoiding actions that physically block vehicles or interfere with people leaving a scene.
The department also directed residents seeking non law enforcement immigration support to local advocacy organizations and listed the MIRA response network hotline at 734 224 3852 .