Michigan
Police remove tent encampment at University of Michigan protesting Israel
Pro-Palestinian protestors seen at Michigan commencement ceremony
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest by waving flags and chanting during the University of Michigan commencement ceremony.
Police removed today a tent encampment protesting Israel on campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, according to university President Santa Ono and protesters.
In a statement, Ono said the university was forced to take action after the protesters refused to remove fire hazards discovered during an inspection last week by a fire marshal.
“The protesters refused to comply with these requests,” Ono said. “That forced the university to take action and this morning, we removed the encampment.”
Emails to university police, Michigan State Police, and a coalition of protesters were not immediately returned. Posts on X, formerly Twitter, by the TAHRIR Coalition, a group of student organizations who helped set up the encampment, show police on site at the Diag in the center of campus, claiming that pepper spray had been used at one point.
The tent encampment was set up four weeks ago on April 22 calling upon the university to divest from Israel. It echoed a tent encampment at Columbia University in New York City. While police soon shut down the Columbia encampment and similar protest sites at other universities, police in Michigan initially took a hands-off approach to the encampment in Ann Arbor. But tensions started to escalate after some protesters recently demonstrated outside the homes of some regents, including their chair.
Ono said they had no choice but to shut down the encampment.
“Ensuring that the campus is safe — for students, faculty, employees, university visitors, and protestors — is a paramount concern, which is why the university has provided 24-hour security for the encampment over the past four weeks,” he said. “Following a May 17 inspection by the university fire marshal, who determined that were a fire to occur, a catastrophic loss of life was likely, the fire marshal and Student Life leaders asked camp occupants to remove external camp barriers, refrain from overloading power sources, and stop using open flames. The protesters refused to comply with these requests. That forced the university to take action and this morning, we removed the encampment.”
More: University of Michigan students set up tent encampment, demand divestment from Israel
In his statement, Ono listed other disruptions to campus life caused by the protesters in recent weeks, such as at a ceremony for honors students.
“The disregard for safety directives was only the latest in a series of troubling events centered on an encampment that has always violated the rules that govern the Diag — especially the rules that ensure the space is available to everyone,” Ono said.
Protesters compared their struggle for divestment to the struggles for divestment from South Africa in the 1980s, when demonstrators set up a shanty on campus in Ann Arbor to symbolize the sufferings of Blacks under apartheid rule. The state of Michigan passed a law in 1983 calling upon all public universities and colleges in Michigan to divest from South Africa, but the university initially fought the law in court. Divesting from Israel would be challenging since Michigan has a law prohibiting state contracts with anyone who supports divesting from or boycotting Israel. Supporters of Israel have criticized the tent encampment as being unfairly hostile to Israel and at times antisemitic.
More: Campus protests against Gaza attacks continue in Michigan amid national crackdown
Some banners at the site read: “Encampment For Gaza! Divest Now!” and “Long Live The Intifada.” One banner strung up between branches on a tree read: “Liberated Zone.”
Muslims and Jews conducted prayers at the site and guest lecturers, such as Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, visited the site to speak to protesters.
By 8 a.m., police blocked off an area hundreds of yards away from the Diag. At least three large garbage trucks were visible at the Diag, presumably moving away detritus of the encampment. Police and security vigilantly monitored the edges of the area, marked by yellow caution tape.
Today’s police action is the latest crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters in southeastern Michigan. Last month, Detroit police ticketed 38 people who took part in a pro-Palestinian caravan, impounded five cars, and arrested four people. On Sunday, police said they detained 10 people protesting against President Joe Biden.
Ono said the university respects free speech, but added: “The university can and must regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure one group’s right to protest does not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community or disrupt the operations of the university.”
Ono said the protests at the regents’ homes on May 15 “went well beyond the lawful exercise of free speech.”
Ono called for productive dialogue that doesn’t violate the rights of others.
“Moving forward, individuals will be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests don’t violate the rights of others and are consistent with university policies meant to ensure the safety of our community,” Ono said. “To be clear, there is no place for violence or intimidation at the University of Michigan. Such behavior will not be tolerated, and individuals will be held accountable.”
Reporter Dave Boucher contributed to this report.
Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo
Michigan
Menominee, Michigan man arrested on sexual assault charges involving a minor
MENOMINEE, Mich. (WLUK) — 24-year-old Ethan Raymond Masters of Menominee was arrested on sexual assault charges June 30th, according to the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, deputies learned of an incident involving a 24-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl which happened in Menominee June 22nd. Following a sexual assault investigation, police charged Masters.
Masters was arraigned July 2nd on 2 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct First Degree. He remains in the Menominee County Jail on a $250,000 cash bond.
Menominee City Police and the Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory of Marquette assisted with the investigation.
Michigan
Michigan immigration advocates react after Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status
Twenty-four thousand immigrants in Michigan have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but a recent Supreme Court decision could put their protection in jeopardy.
TPS is a humanitarian protection granted to U.S. immigrants fleeing dangerous situations in their home countries, often from natural disasters or political instability. The status allows immigrants from the designated countries to live and work in the U.S.
The Supreme Court overturned those for 356,000 Haitians and Syrians in a recent decision. While the court’s decision directly impacted Haitian and Syrian immigrants, it also established that the Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to determine TPS status without judicial review or input from the courts.
That means that the Secretary of Homeland Security can eliminate TPS for any immigrant group that is currently in the U.S. under protection. That puts 1.3 million immigrants in the U.S. at risk of deportation. In Florida, 113,000 healthcare workers with TPS are at risk of deportation. The Haitian population in Philadelphia is also expressing concerns about what comes next for them.
“The Supreme Court turned its back on our moral and legal commitments to people seeking safety,” said Christine Sauvé, manager of Policy and Communication at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. “The decision eliminates legal protections for people fleeing danger and allows the Trump Administration to really advance its mass deportation agenda.”
Left without the ability to live or work in the U.S., these Haitian and Syrian immigrants with TPS now face deportation. But going back home could still be incredibly dangerous.
“It’s not really an option to go back to their home country,” said Melanie Goldberg, immigration attorney with the Institute of Metro Detroit. “In the case of Haiti, they don’t even have an airport in Port-au-Prince that’s operational. Yet they say it’s safe for these citizens to go back.”
In Michigan, immigrants with TPS have contributed $349 million to the state’s economy, a sign that they are deeply embedded in the community, according to Sauvé.
“Many TPS holders have been in our communities for a very long time,” Sauvé said. “They’ve really spent decades building their lives here in Michigan. We welcomed them here, only to see that completely ripped away with the stroke of a pen.”
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center encourages Haitian and Syrian immigrants with TPS, as well as any immigrants in the U.S. with a TPS designation, to seek out a qualified legal service provider and review the “Know Your Rights” Materials on the MIRC’s website
Michigan
Sherrone Moore’s former assistant sues University of Michigan over alleged FOIA violations
A former University of Michigan assistant whose relationship with ex-coach Sherrone Moore was under investigation is accusing university officials of refusing to provide records related to the probe.
Paige Shiver filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Washtenaw Circuit Court, claiming that U of M “arbitrarily and capriciously” violated the Michigan Freedom of Information Act by repeatedly denying her requests. Shiver and her legal team are seeking a court order requiring the university to disclose the records.
The lawsuit also alleges that throughout Shiver’s four-year employment with U of M, she was “discriminated against and subjected to a hostile work environment on the basis of her sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Michigan law including Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act.”
“The lawsuit filed today demands transparency and accountability from the University of Michigan, President Grasso and the Board of Regents,” said Shiver’s attorney, Andrew M. Stroth.
On Wednesday, CBS News Detroit reached out to U of M, which says it has no comment.
The investigation led to Moore’s firing in December 2025. At the time, it was determined that he was in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, who was later identified as Shiver.
Moore was arrested hours later after authorities said he went to Shiver’s home and threatened to harm himself. He was charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering. Moore was sentenced to 18 months’ probation after pleading no contest to the two misdemeanor charges.
According to the lawsuit, Shiver filed a FOIA request in February 2026 for audio, video and transcripts of interviews of herself, her father, Jeff Shiver, and Moore. The lawsuit alleges that the university denied her request, citing the ongoing investigation.
The lawsuit alleges that Shiver submitted a similar request months later, in June, but was told by the university that it was “overly broad and vague” and “does not describe a ‘public record sufficiently to enable the public body to find the public record.’”
The lawsuit claims that requests were submitted in March and May, respectively, for all emails sent to the law firm Jenner & Block (UMconcerns@jenner.com) and for recordings of Shiver’s meetings by the university through Jenner & Block. However, those requests were denied because the university cited that it had no responsive records, according to the lawsuit.
The law firm was hired by U of M to investigate Moore and Shiver’s relationship. The university later expanded the investigation to include the athletic department.
The lawsuit also claims that Shiver requested copies of emails between Moore and athletic director Warde Manuel that contained the words “affair,” “discipline,” “pregnancy,” “baby” and “abortion.” The university denied the request, citing the communication between U of M employees as “exempt information,” according to the lawsuit.
However, Shiver’s legal team argued that the university has not shown evidence that the emails are exempt.
“This public university paid Jenner & Block $12 million to investigate the Sherrone Moore scandal and the abuse, Title IX and Title VII violations within the athletic department and Schembechler Hall, yet now refuses to release the investigation’s findings. It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out,” Stroth said.
Shiver appeared on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” in April to discuss her relationship with Moore. In the interview, she said she became pregnant by Moore and sought an abortion after medical complications were discovered about the pregnancy.
Note: The video above previously aired on April 14, 2026.
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