KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Kalamazoo city officials are choosing not to move forward with a Department of Justice grant over concerns about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies.
City administrators told 24 Hour News 8 that they have accepted Justice Assistance Grants for years, but there have been changes to part of the agreement. Officials found those changes could promote the separation of immigrant families.
“We (city staff members) determined that there are some really open-ended questions about whether or not the new requirements conflict with the requirements that were passed by the City Commission in July,” Kalamazoo Deputy City Manager Jeff Chamberlain told 24 Hour News 8 Wednesday. “In July, our elected officials passed a resolution that stated that they opposed the separation of families for immigration and that also directed the city administration to not work in efforts that would separate families due to immigration status."
There was a city commission meeting scheduled for Thursday morning to discuss the grant, but it was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. The agreement will therefore not move forward because officials had to accept it before Nov. 16.