LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. – The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office will track interactions with undocumented citizens.
The Livingston County Board of Commissioners approved the resolution Monday after listening to two hours of public comment.
“Livingston County Sheriff’s Office will document contacts with illegal immigrants regardless of the nature of the contact and provide periodic reports of these contacts to the Board of Commissioners,” the resolution stated in part.
Residents were split on the resolution, some speaking in favor of it saying it’s necessary while others were against it claiming it is racist and politically charged.
Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy posted a Facebook video supporting the resolution.
“We do have illegal immigrants here. Can you say that they’re all criminals? Of course not. Can you say that they’re all here creating traffic offenses? Of course not. But to say that it doesn’t exist or we shouldn’t keep track, I think, is insane because it does exist, and we do need to keep track,” Murphy said in the video.
ACLU of Michigan condemned the resolution.
“Livingston County has set a dangerous precedent,” ACLU of Michigan said in a statement. “In addition to being divisive and impractical, the resolution will also make the county vulnerable to costly litigation at the expense of taxpayers.”