MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Center Line signed up to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), that is, until the public found out.

Following a contentious Nov. 3 City Council meeting in which several attendees were asked to leave, City Manager Dennis Champine scrapped the city’s agreement to join ICE’s 287(g) program—a partnership that would have trained local officers to assist in identifying and detaining immigrants in the country illegally.

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Champine said that after hearing residents and consulting the mayor and council, “it is in the city’s best interest” to withdraw. ICE was notified on Nov. 4.

Under the deal, Center Line officers would have received federal training to question suspects about immigration status and process “removable” individuals in the city jail. Several Michigan agencies already participate, including sheriff’s offices in Jackson, Berrien, Calhoun, Crawford and Roscommon counties.

Advocacy groups celebrated the reversal, saying residents were alarmed to learn city leaders hadn’t even known the agreement was moving forward until locals raised concerns. “This breakdown in communication underscores the urgent need for … meaningful public input,” Rising Voices said.

Some concerns went beyond process.

“These agreements have been shown to be costly and lead to racial profiling,” Christine Sauvé of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center said. “Communities are safer when local law enforcement focuses on building trust.”