HomeMy WebLinkAboutExecutive Order 2017-001 EXECUTIVE ORDER 2017-01
CREATION OF CITY POLICY WITH RESPECT TO IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
TO: ALL OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENCIES, BOARDS, AUTHORITIES, AND
DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY OF LANSING
SUBJECT: CITY POLICY WITH RESPECT TO IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
The City of Lansing has a rich and diverse population, which includes immigrants and refugees
who make substantial economic, social, and cultural contributions to our community. The City
also has a long history of commitment to preserving civil rights and liberties, regardless of one's
immigration or refugee status. And as such, Lansing shares the company of a growing number of
cities, townships, counties and states who celebrate diversity and provide equal protection for all
residents, immigrant and refugee, documented and undocumented.
To ensure these protections, and to reflect its commitment to both the equal enforcement of the
law and service to the public, the Lansing Police Department has for many years instituted
policies that would not only assist it with respect to crime reporting and investigation,but also
encourage community participation in both. Furthermore, the fear of any reprisal that might
follow the revelation of one's immigration status should not give cause for failing to assist law
enforcement in their efforts to make Lansing a safe community.
It is the policy of the Lansing Police Department that all members make personal and
professional commitments to equal enforcement of the law and equal service to the public.
Confidence in this commitment will increase the effectiveness of the Department in protecting
and serving the entire community and recognizing the dignity of all persons, regardless of their
immigration status.
The Lansing Police Department Administration will work with the City of Lansing Board of
Police Commissioners, a citizen task force of immigration advocates, and the Office of the City
Attorney to develop a policy that will provide guidelines to members of the Department to act in
accordance with this order. The policy language will clarify and solidify a public safety position
that engenders trust within the community, not fear.
However, given the current political environment, I believe it is necessary to reaffirm the City of
Lansing's long-standing commitments and policies referenced above for the personal safety aRl
dignity of its residents and visitors.
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Accordingly, pursuant to the powers vested in me b the Lansing City Charter I am issEh tke
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following executive order which shall have immediate effect:
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EXECUTIVE ORDER 2017-01
1. CREATION OF CITY POLICY WITH RESPECT TO IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
Lansing officials, officers and employees will not ask about, nor record infonnation on, any
person's immigration status, except as required by federal or state statute or court decision.
Lansing Police Department personnel will not, independently or in assisting other law
enforcement agencies, stop, pursue, interrogate, investigate, arrest or otherwise detain a person
based solely on their irmmigration status or suspected violations of immigration law.
Lansing Police Department personnel are prohibited from soliciting information regarding
immigration status from persons who are seeking police services or are the victims of, or witness
to, a crime.
Individuals in the custody of the Lansing Police Department shall be subject to the same
booking, processing, release, and transfer procedures, policies, and practices of the Department,
regardless of actual or suspected citizenship or immigration status.
Lansing Police Department shall not continue to detain an individual beyond their initial release
time pursuant to an immigration detainer request without a valid judicial warrant. In addition,
officers shall not arrest or detain individuals based on administrative immigration warrants,
including those entered in Michigan Law Enforcement Infonnation Network (LEIN) or National
Crime Information Center(NCIC) database.
Lansing Police Department personnel will not enter into any agreement or Memoranda of
Agreement to perfonn the functions of federal immigration agents for the Department of
Homeland Security(DHS) under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
When dealing with persons who lack a State identification card or a driver's license, the methods
used for establishing identification shall be uniform. Acceptable forms of identification, which
must include a photograph of the individual, include, but are not limited to, current or previous
driver's licenses from any U.S. state or foreign country, government-issued IDs by a U.S.
jurisdiction, foreign passports, and consular 1D cards. Individuals should not be stopped or
detained solely for the purpose of establishing their identity.
Lack of government-issued identification or limited English ability shall not be used as a pretext
to contact federal immigration authorities. Enlisting the assistance of the Immigration Customs
and Enforcement Division of the Department of Homeland Security should only be utilized when
crimes of a serious nature are being investigated.
Nothing in the Executive Order is intended to, or should be construed to, limit communication
with federal immigration authorities about an individual's citizenship or immigration status as
prohibited by 8 USC § 1373,
This Executive Order, is signed on this 3`d day of April, 2017 shall remain in effect until is it
rescinded or superseded.
VIRG SERNERO
Mayor of the City of Lansing, Michigan