Michigan immigrant rights center

The Michigan Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on a key procedural question that could decide whether an immigrant rights case goes to trial. It could also affect future civil rights challenges to state laws.

The ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center say if local law enforcement cooperates with federal immigration authorities, they'll lose trust — and possibly cost taxpayers money.

Immigrant advocates in Grand Rapids say ICE tried detaining people at routine check-ins. Now, immigrants face a difficult choice: show up and risk arrest, or stay home and break the law.

More than 200 immigrants have been detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge port of entry since January of this year, according to information obtained by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib’s (D-Detroit) office.

The Trump administration has ended federal support for two of the Center’s key programs: an immigration help desk in Detroit federal court, and legal support for unaccompanied migrant children, despite ongoing litigation and court orders to maintain funding.

In this edition of Stateside, we discuss the impacts of funding cuts on the Michigan Immigrants Rights Center. We also cover a story on a black bear attack that occurred in Isabella, Minnesota. And, we have a conversation with a West Michigan author about his new memoir, Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.

Here’s some of the safety planning that experts are recommending to families with mixed-immigration status.

The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center represents roughly 800 immigrant children currently in the system. The work is paid for with federal funding through the Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children program.

The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in a case filed against the state by an immigrant rights organization.

Twelve hour shifts, six days a week. A persistent, chemical smell that caused eyes to water, throats to itch and heads to ache. Two hundred workers and…