A federal judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit the Trump administration filed against Washtenaw County over its immigration enforcement policies, ruling that the county’s sheriff, prosecutor and Board of Commissioners had not violated federal law.
The federal government filed the lawsuit in April, arguing that the county officials’ refusal to aid federal immigration enforcement officers posed a danger to public safety.
Washtenaw County argued that federal law did not require local governments to assist with immigration enforcement.
U.S. District Court Judge F. Kay Behm agreed, writing that the county was exercising powers afforded to it under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
"Apparently flummoxed by the County’s decision to focus its resources on local priorities and public safety, the United States sues to demand Washtenaw County’s cooperation, the use of its jail cells, and its resources," Behm wrote.
The judge wrote that nothing in the Immigration and Nationality Act required the Washtenaw County sheriff to hold people in the county jail at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.
She also said the Trump administration was improperly attempting to compel local governments to “enforce the President’s priorities in the manner it wishes.”
The ruling represents the first major test of the administration’s legal effort to challenge Washtenaw County’s immigration enforcement policies.
