Immigration reform and border enforcement are once again big talking points heading into the presidential election. And the debate on immigration issues isn’t a new conversation.

In the last decade, immigration has been a hot topic, but in this election cycle, Americans now believe immigration to be the most important issue facing the United States, a Gallup poll released this week revealed. In recent months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has been vocal about the border and keeping migrants from crossing over illegally and pushed “Operation Lone Star”— a 2021 initiative by Abbott that sent the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the southern border to “fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border.”

The operation has also bused and flown more than 100,000 migrants from the Texas border to Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. All deemed sanctuary cities.

These larger metropolitan areas are just a handful of 100s of communities, and even some states, that have identified themselves as sanctuary areas for migrants in the United States. There are several communities in Michigan as well that have identified themselves as sanctuary areas as well.

What is a sanctuary city?

Sanctuary city is a common term now, but a sanctuary area can be classified as a city, county, or state in America that doesn’t fully comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Usually, this is done through municipal laws that protect undocumented immigrants from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.

Practices and laws that are in place allow agencies to refuse, or prohibit, compliance with ICE detainers and impose unreasonable conditions on detainer acceptance. Some also deny ICE access to interview incarcerated aliens and stop immigration enforcement from impeding communication or information exchanges between their personnel and federal immigration officers, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

Is Michigan a sanctuary state?

No, Michigan is not a sanctuary state, but it does have a city and several counties that are designated as sanctuary areas, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

What are Michigan’s sanctuary cities and counties?

• Lansing: Is the only city in Michigan that is a sanctuary city.
• Ingham County
• Kalamazoo County
• Kent County
• Wayne County

Detroit and Ann Arbor are often referred to as sanctuary cities, though they haven’t officially declared themselves as such. Detroit has multiple times proclaimed itself a “Welcoming City,” according to City Council’s Legislative Policy Division. Both cities have policies in place that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and generally bar police from inquiring about individuals’ immigration status or engaging in profiling based on ethnicity or religion.

Migrants in Michigan

While Michigan may not be getting an influx of migrants shipped from Texas, the communities in the state are no strangers to people looking to start their lives in the U.S. here.

In 2016, Michigan was the fourth largest state for refugee resettlement, taking in more than 30,000 arrivals over the previous decade, Global Detroit reported.

Undocumented immigrants accounted for 1.2% of Michigan’s population as of 2021, per Pew Research Center analysis.