Quick Answer

Illinois passed the strongest immigrant-protection law in the country — HB 1312 — banning civil immigration arrests near courthouses, hospitals, colleges, and daycares, and creating a new state-level civil rights remedy (the Illinois Bivens Act) that lets immigrants sue enforcement officers for at least $10,000 for unlawful civil arrests.

Michigan has no statewide protections like this — but it could legally adopt them.

As discussions around Michigan immigration protections 2025 evolve, it’s crucial to understand the legal landscape and potential changes.

This guide explains:

What Illinois’ and California’s new protections actually do
What Michigan currently has (and lacks)
Whether Michigan could legally copy Illinois’ model
How protections would change life for immigrants in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Flint
What loopholes ICE would still use in Michigan even after reform

Fast Facts About Michigan Immigration Protections 2025

Michigan is not a sanctuary state.
Some Michigan counties (Kent, Oakland, Macomb) cooperate heavily with ICE; others (Washtenaw, Ingham, Wayne) have more restrictive policies.
Michigan sheriffs vary widely: some honor ICE detainers; others require judicial warrants.
Michigan’s immigrant population is concentrated around Detroit/Wayne County, Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County, Kent County, and Oakland County.
Michigan hospitals, schools, and daycares have no statewide protections against civil ICE arrests.
Courthouse arrests by ICE have been reported in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo.

For context, see the model legislation that started the national conversation:
Illinois HB 1312 – Bill Text & Status
Major coverage:
AP News coverage
Reuters coverage

Introduction: Why Michigan Is Asking These Questions Now

Illinois’ landmark HB 1312 and Santa Clara County’s new “ICE-free zone” ordinance have triggered a wave of interest from immigrant families across the Midwest — especially Michigan, where ICE enforcement has historically been more aggressive than in neighboring states.

Michigan residents are now asking:

“Could Lansing pass an Illinois-style law?”
“Would this stop ICE from making arrests inside or near Detroit or Grand Rapids courthouses?”
“Can Michigan colleges (like MSU, Wayne State, UM, WMU) become protected zones?”
“Would this help refugees and mixed-status families in Hamtramck and Dearborn?”

Michigan has one of the most diverse immigrant communities in the country — including Arab American, Chaldean, African, Latin American, Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepali, and Bosnian communities — and these groups have a high stake in understanding what reforms are possible.

Section 1 — What Illinois Passed: A National Model

Illinois’ HB 1312 includes two powerful components that Michigan lawmakers could replicate:

1. Civil Arrest Ban Near Sensitive Locations

Illinois bans civil immigration arrests:

Inside or around courthouses
Hospitals and health centers
Licensed daycare centers
Colleges and universities

Major media coverage:
AP News
Washington Post

2. Illinois Bivens Act (Private Right of Action)

Allows lawsuits against individual officers who violate constitutional rights during civil immigration enforcement
Statutory damages of $10,000 minimum
Attorney fees
Punitive damages possible

Full text:
HB 1312 – Illinois General Assembly

Gov. Pritzker’s framing

“Dropping your kid off at day care, going to the doctor, or attending your classes should not be a life-altering task.”

Section 2 — What Santa Clara County Passed (“ICE-Free Zones”)

California’s Santa Clara County adopted a different strategy:

They did not ban ICE arrests.

Instead, they banned ICE from using:

county parking lots
county buildings
public facilities

as enforcement staging areas.

Coverage:
San José Spotlight
San Francisco Chronicle
AP News

This gives counties control over their own land — something Michigan counties also have authority to do.

Section 3 — Michigan’s Current Landscape (2025)

Key Insights on Michigan Immigration Protections 2025

A. Michigan has no statewide restrictions on ICE.

Unlike Illinois, Michigan:

does not ban ICE courthouse arrests
does not restrict ICE at hospitals or schools
does not limit civil immigration arrests in daycares
does not restrict data-sharing with ICE
does not have a state-level “Bivens Act”

B. County-by-county patchwork

Wayne County (Detroit) has partial non-cooperation policies
Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor) is the most immigrant-protective
Ingham County (Lansing) has moderate protections
Oakland, Macomb, and Kent Counties heavily cooperate with ICE
Monroe County has had some of the most aggressive ICE–sheriff collaboration in the Midwest

C. High-risk arrest zones in Michigan

Historically:

Detroit 36th District Court
Oakland County Circuit Court
Grand Rapids District Court
Lansing-area courts
Hospitals in Dearborn and Detroit with high-security cooperation
Michigan State University and University of Michigan (due to international-student monitoring)

D. Michigan’s immigrant communities

Heavily concentrated in:

Detroit, Dearborn, Hamtramck
Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti
Grand Rapids & Kentwood
Lansing
Flint, Warren, Sterling Heights, Troy

Many are mixed-status families, making arrest-free zones critical.

Section 4 — Could Michigan Legally Copy Illinois’ Law?

YES. Michigan has the legal authority to copy HB 1312 almost word-for-word.

Michigan can:

Ban civil immigration arrests on state property (courts, hospitals, colleges)
Restrict local law enforcement from assisting civil immigration arrests
Create state-level remedies for constitutional violations
Control access to county-owned property (like Santa Clara)

Legal capacity is NOT the issue — political will is.

Michigan’s legislature leans moderate–Democratic, but:

Some Democrats fear “sanctuary state” labeling
Detroit’s business community has mixed views
Oakland and Macomb counties remain enforcement-friendly
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has not signaled support for statewide immigrant-protection legislation (yet)

But legally, Michigan could pass:

A Michigan Bivens Act
A Michigan Sensitive Locations Act
Local ICE-Free Zones in Wayne, Washtenaw, or Ingham counties

Section 5 — What Would Change Overnight If Michigan Copied Illinois?

Michigan would instantly have the strongest immigrant protections in the Midwest.

Courthouse protections

Civil immigration arrests would be banned:

Detroit 36th District Court
Wayne County Circuit Court
Oakland County Circuit Court
Kent County Courthouse
Ingham County Court (Lansing)

Hospital protections

Civil arrests blocked at:

Henry Ford Hospital
Beaumont/Corewell
Detroit Medical Center
Michigan Medicine (UM)
Sparrow Hospital (Lansing)
Spectrum/Butterworth Hospital (Grand Rapids)

Child-care protections

Daycares and preschools in:

Dearborn
Hamtramck
Ann Arbor
Lansing
Troy
Sterling Heights
Grand Rapids

would become off-limits for civil ICE arrests.

College campus protections

Civil arrests banned at:

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor & Dearborn)
Michigan State University
Wayne State University
Eastern Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Grand Valley State

This is critical for F-1 visa students, international researchers, and mixed-status student families.

Section 6 — What an “ICE-Free Zone” Would Look Like in Michigan

Counties like Wayne, Washtenaw, Ingham, and Kent could — with a simple ordinance — ban ICE from using county property as enforcement staging grounds.

This would block ICE from:

Detroit municipal lots
Wayne County jail lots
County-owned parking garages
Public health buildings
County-run clinics
County-owned university parcels (some satellite properties)

ICE would be forced to:

Conduct arrests off-property
Shift to residential raids
Move to private lots or federal property

Local police would not be allowed to:

Assist ICE operations
Provide surveillance footage
Provide backup for civil enforcement
Allow ICE to park unmarked vehicles on county land

Section 7 — Who Would Benefit Most in Michigan

These protections would be transformative for:

Arab-American families in Dearborn, Hamtramck, and Detroit
Latino communities across Grand Rapids, Wyoming, and Kentwood
Asian immigrant families in Troy, Sterling Heights, Warren
International students at UM, MSU, Wayne State, WMU, GVSU, EMU
Refugee communities (Iraqi, Afghan, Yemeni, Syrian, Rohingya, Congolese, Ukrainian)
Undocumented workers in agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and service-sector jobs
Mixed-status households statewide

Section 8 — 5 Loopholes ICE Would Still Use in Michigan

Even with Illinois-style reforms, ICE would still be able to:

Arrest across the street from protected zones
Use home raids as primary enforcement
Target workplaces and factories
Use license-plate readers and data-sharing networks
Conduct arrests at USCIS interviews or biometrics appointments

See HLG’s analysis:
Trump’s 2025 Deportation Surge: What Non-Criminal Immigrants Need to Know

Section 9 — Michigan FAQ

Q: Can ICE arrest me at a courthouse in Michigan?
Yes. Michigan has no statewide protection like Illinois.

Q: Are Michigan hospitals protected zones?
No. ICE can arrest inside hospital lobbies and parking lots.

Q: Does Michigan protect school or daycare pick-ups?
No statewide protections.

Q: Can I sue ICE officers in Michigan like in Illinois?
No. Michigan has no “Michigan Bivens Act.”

Q: Does Ann Arbor or Detroit have protection rules?
They have local non-cooperation guidelines, but they do not ban civil ICE arrests.

Q: Can Michigan pass an Illinois-style law?
Yes — legally, absolutely.

Political feasibility?
Moderate. It would depend on Governor Whitmer and the state legislature’s appetite for immigrant-protection bills.

IMMIGRATION RESOURCE DIRECTORY (NATIONAL + MICHIGAN)

1. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)

U.S. Department of State (DOS)

2. NATIONAL LEGAL & ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)

AILA National Advocacy

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

TRAC Immigration (Syracuse University)

3. NATIONAL PRESS & INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING (IMMIGRATION)

Major Media

Local/Regional Immigration Leaders

Investigative Outlets

4. ILLINOIS & “MODEL LAW” RESOURCES (For Comparison)

The core model Michigan is considering replicating.

Illinois HB 1312 (Anti-ICE Civil Arrest Zones + Illinois Bivens Act)

HB 1312 – Full Bill Text

Major Media Coverage of HB 1312

5. SANTA CLARA COUNTY “ICE-FREE ZONES” (MODEL 2)

Michigan counties like Wayne or Washtenaw could copy this model.

Primary Sources

Santa Clara County Ordinance Code

Major Media Coverage

6. MICHIGAN IMMIGRANT-RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

STATEWIDE

DETROIT METRO

ANN ARBOR / WASHTENAW COUNTY

GRAND RAPIDS / KENT COUNTY

LANSING / INGHAM COUNTY

FLINT / GENESEE COUNTY

7. MICHIGAN COUNTY GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

WAYNE COUNTY

OAKLAND COUNTY

MACOMB COUNTY

WASHTENAW COUNTY

KENT COUNTY

8. REMOVAL DEFENSE & LEGAL HELP

Herman Legal Group ( Resource for Michigan & Midwest)

National Removal Defense Networks

9. DETENTION, BOND, & ICE CUSTODY RESOURCES

EOIR Tools & Court Information

Data & Transparency

10. COMMUNITY SUPPORT, HOTLINES & SAFETY PLANNING

National Hotlines

Michigan Community Safety Networks

Faith-Based Assistance

11. POLICY, RESEARCH, & PUBLIC RECORDS FOR JOURNALISTS

National Databases

FOIA Tools

12. HLG

Help is here

If you live in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Flint, Dearborn, or any Michigan community and want to understand how Illinois-style protections could change your risk level at courthouses, hospitals, or schools, HLG can help.

👉 Schedule a confidential consultation

Success Stories

Could Michigan Copy Illinois’ Anti-ICE Law? What Immigrants Need to Know in 2025

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