County commissioners vote 11-7 against bringing ICE policy to the floor

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners will not vote on a proposed policy limiting federal civil immigration enforcement on county property, after a motion to pull it out of committee failed 11-7 on Thursday, Oct. 15, The Detroit News reported.

The resolution would have barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering, remaining in or carrying out civil immigration enforcement in county buildings or on county property, such as parking lots, without a warrant. It would also have barred county employees from helping with civil immigration enforcement on county property, according to the News.

The resolution has been in the board's Community Safety and Civil Rights Ad Hoc Committee since Feb. 19. A motion to discharge asks the full board to take an item away from a committee that has not acted on it. Our preview of Thursday's meeting has more on the resolution's language.

Who spoke

Commissioner Charles "Charlie" Cavell, a Democrat whose south Oakland district includes Berkley and Ferndale, made the motion. He is the resolution's only sponsor.

"We have not passed legal aid for immigrants. We have not passed food aid to support immigrants … this is the least we can do," Cavell said, according to the News.

Commissioner Bob Hoffman, a Republican whose north Oakland district includes Holly and Brandon, also backed the motion.

"Illegal immigration is not the cause. It's the effect of a broken immigration system," Hoffman said, according to the News. "If the local police departments did some of the things that ICE does, they'd be charged with excessive force and some would be charged with murder."

Several Democratic commissioners raised concerns about whether the policy could be enforced, the News reported. The News did not name them.

During public comment, Tim O'Hara of Rochester, who supported the policy, said the Democratic majority "refused to consider the most basic protections for its most vulnerable constituents," the News reported. Resident Robin McGregor also spoke in favor of the policy, according to a News photo caption.

Washtenaw County adopted a similar policy. In August, a federal judge dismissed a federal government challenge to it, the News reported.

What we don't know yet

• The roll call. The News did not report how each commissioner voted beyond Cavell and Hoffman. The board's minutes for Oct. 15 had not been posted as of Friday afternoon.
• The rest of the agenda. The Journal has not confirmed what happened Thursday with the other items in our preview: Commissioner Kristen Nelson's motion to discharge a countywide whistleblower protection policy, the $2.1 million federal grant for an updated sheriff's helicopter, up to $2.1 million more for SMART bus service and the change to how Community Development Block Grant money is split. We'll report those outcomes when the minutes or other confirmation are available.

This story uses reporting from The Detroit News, published through Yahoo News, and the Oakland County Board of Commissioners' Oct. 15, 2026, agenda.