PETOSKEY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – While national attention remains focused on large cities like Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, Northern Michigan residents scrolling social media this week encountered a dramatic public message closer to home. The Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce shared a graphic warning about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, urging residents to review “Know Your Rights” resources related to immigration enforcement.
The graphic was a PSA entitled “ICE – Know Your Rights” with a QR code that would let viewers access something called the “Red Card” – a small Know Your Rights card created by immigrant-rights organizations to help people assert their constitutional rights if approached by ICE.
Protecting Michigan Native Americans,
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Another QR code on the graphic was titled “What to do if you are approached by ICE” and linked to information provided by Native American Rights Fund.
Tribal advisory emphasizes rights, citizenship, and ID during ICE encounters.
It appears that the post is aimed at advising tribal citizens in the area, as it includes contact information for tribal police. That ties in with recent article from the Traverse City Ticker which reported that the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians recently alerted its citizens about increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, emphasizing that Native Americans could be subject to stops “based on perceived ethnicity, language, or occupation.”
In its advisory, the Tribe reiterated that members stopped by ICE should calmly assert their status as citizens of both the Band – a federally recognized sovereign nation – and of the United States, and should present their Grand Traverse Band tribal ID, which functions as proof of citizenship and is accepted for travel through TSA and at U.S.–Canada border crossings.
The notice also outlined key rights during interactions with federal agents: tribal members may remain silent, request to speak with a supervisor, and ICE generally must have a judicial warrant to enter private homes or workspaces. The Band urges members to always carry their tribal ID, legally record any encounters without interfering with agents, and immediately notify GT Band authorities if detained, providing contact information for the Tribal Legal Department, GTB police leadership, and the Membership Office.
According to the Lansing State Journal, at least six of the state’s 12 federally recognized Native American tribes have “issued statements to their members cautioning them about interactions with ICE and reiterating the rights of tribal members as U.S. citizens.”
Petoskey police decline to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
As we reported yesterday, in Petoskey, local police are making it clear they’re not in the immigration enforcement business. Public safety leaders confirm they have no agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and do not participate in the federal 287(g) program that allows local officers to carry out immigration duties. That means when ICE operates in the area, Petoskey officers do not assist with detentions or enforcement – at most providing traffic control or maintaining public order. The message is straightforward: immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and local law enforcement isn’t stepping in to help.
Federal agents doing federal things.
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That local stance sets the stage for a broader point often lost in the noise surrounding immigration enforcement. ICE is tasked with enforcing immigration law – and that affects local jurisdictions in their effort to make people safer. Their activities include investigations, arrests, and removals authorized under federal statutes. This is not new. It did not begin last week. But to some, it does not require a public alert every time agents are rumored to be nearby, any more than local police presence requires a community siren.
At the same time, immigration enforcement has increasingly become a political issue for Democrats, particularly during election cycles. Inflammatory public rhetoric from some elected officials and advocacy groups has contributed to routine enforcement becoming a dangerous activity. In sanctuary cities and states, policies that limit cooperation with federal authorities have also changed how enforcement occurs, shifting arrests away from jails and prisons and toward locations such as homes, vehicles, and workplaces – where anti-ICE activists are confronting law enforcement.
“Know your rights” or stoking nerves?
Yes, people have constitutional rights. Yes, those rights apply regardless of citizenship status. But when “know your rights” messaging is packaged with urgent graphics, hotlines, and warnings that suggest a sudden local crisis, it can blur the line between legal education and unnecessary alarm.
