Pastors renew request to sheriff, board over ICE actions; officials say they've done what they can
West Michigan faith leaders have renewed their request that the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office and the board of commissioners publicly reassure residents after months of controversial immigration enforcement efforts nationwide by the federal government.
OTTAWA COUNTY — West Michigan faith leaders have renewed their request that the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office and the board of commissioners publicly reassure residents after months of controversial immigration enforcement efforts nationwide by the federal government.
The letter, which was sent by Rev. Jared Cramer of Grand Haven's St. John’s Episcopal Church, is the second effort sent to board Chair Josh Brugger and Sheriff Eric DeBoer by 60 Christian clergy from across Ottawa County asking for the elected officials to “publicly refuse to participate in or support the current model of federal immigration action in our local community.”
In the first letter, dated Feb. 5, the faith leaders asked Brugger and DeBoer to “reject the path of violence and to resist narratives that rely on fear to divide us from one another."
Read More: Ottawa County faith leaders urge sheriff, board to take public stand on ICE to reassure residents
“We explicitly reject the brutality of current immigration enforcement practices and urge the immediate withdrawal of federal forces from local communities until a reformed system with capable and properly trained individuals can take on this work," the shared statement said.
The request came amidst public outrage over a deadly surge of federal agents in Minneapolis that resulted in two shooting deaths of U.S. citizens at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, which prompted demonstrations opposing the Trump Administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
As of Dec. 14, ICE arrested more than 328,000, deported nearly 327,000, and was holding 68,400 people. Shortly after Christmas, the agency changed tactics from targeting local jails as a pipeline for detaining immigrants to deploying to specific cities for raids.
ICE arrested 2,349 people in Michigan from January through October 2025 — nearly triple the number arrested in the state in the same timeframe in 2024 — and had detained 3,338 people, most of them at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, which reopened as a detention center in June 2025.
Michigan data shows that about a quarter of last year’s arrests (593) were categorized as “ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) Street Arrest." That’s up from 58 EROs in 2024. Others are tagged with general locations such as Grand Rapids, Detroit and Flint.
Ottawa County also has seen ICE activity, with an arrest in Holland Township making headlines in late January after federal agents got into a physical altercation with a man they eventually arrested on a federal warrant.
Read More: ICE arrest in Holland Township came after physical altercation, Ottawa County sheriff says
Ottawa Sheriff Eric DeBoer declined to comment for this story, but referred to a letter he sent to Brugger on Jan. 26 clarifying his office’s approach to federal immigration enforcement, which Brugger read into the public record at a Jan. 27 meeting.
“Our office remains committed to equal enforcement of the law and equal service to every person in Ottawa County. We recognize that recent national attention on federal immigration enforcement has raised concern across the political spectrum and we want to be clear about our role at the local level,” DeBoer said in the letter.
“We work with our federal partners, including, when necessary, providing information or assistance to help locate and arrest individuals who are the subject of criminal investigations or have active criminal warrants, as required by law. At the same time, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office is not engaged in civil immigration enforcement, and our deputies do not initiate contacts for the purpose of determining immigration status,” he said.
DeBoer said the primary responsibility of the sheriff’s office is “the safety of everyone who lives in, works in, or visits Ottawa County, and that mission depends on the trust and cooperation of all members of our community.”
He said the most important thing is that residents feel safe — in general, as well as being comfortable enough to report crimes and speak with police.
“Victims, witnesses, and community members must feel secure reporting crime and interacting with deputies without fear that doing so will automatically result in immigration consequences, and our practices are designed to support that confidence,” DeBoer said in the letter.
“We will continue to comply with federal and state law while exercising our local discretion in a way that preserves that trust, maintains public safety, and respects the dignity of every person we serve.”
In the new letter, the pastors thanked DeBoer and Brugger for "the explicit commitments to equal enforcement of the law, equal service to every person, and the recognition that community trust is essential to public safety."
"We also appreciate the assurance that the Sheriff’s Office is not engaged in civil immigration enforcement and does not initiate contacts to determine immigration status," the second letter said.
The clergy noted, however, that "many immigrant and migrant families in Ottawa County continue to experience fear and uncertainty."
"We continue to hear deep concern and uncertainty from immigrant and migrant members of our community. As you know, safety is experienced not only through internal policy, but through clear and public reassurance from trusted leaders," the new letter said.
"Even when local agencies are acting appropriately, fear can persist when vulnerable communities are unsure how policies are lived out in practice."
The clergy said, for that reason, they asked Brugger and DeBoer to consider several "additional, non-escalatory steps that could strengthen public trust."
The coalition asked for:
- Clear public affirmation that immigrant and migrant residents are valued members of the community who can safely report crimes and access services without fear.
- Continued transparency about the boundaries of local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
- Increased public communication — potentially in multiple languages — regarding how these policies are implemented in practice.
- Opportunities for listening and relationship-building between county leadership and immigrant communities.
After receiving the first letter, Brugger said he believes county officials are doing all they can to keep their communities and residents safe.
“I understand residents’ desire to reach out to commissioners with national issues of concern,” Brugger said at the meeting. “We are accessible, we’re willing to listen, and we represent you when it comes to county-related issues that impact each one of us.”
“Each of us up here wishes that we had the solution to immigration and immigration enforcement. And some of us may even wish that we had the authority to solve this challenge. But we do not. That power resides with Congress,” he said.
He also pointed to the current county board’s mixed political makeup, with the current moderate Republican majority holding a six-seat majority, four far-right conservatives and one Democrat, making a unified message from the board on any political issue unlikely.
“On this issue, there are diverse viewpoints among our board members and within our community. This is what is challenging,” Brugger said. “I recognize the justified passions of those who are protesting and have a right to do so peacefully. I acknowledge the very real fears that members of our community and nation have. I also honor those who are responsibly and respectfully carrying out their orders as agents of the federal government when done lawfully.”
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When asked for comment on the second letter on Wednesday, Brugger said he stood by his previous statements.
"In my professional capacity, I can say that … I appreciate [Cramer's] and the signatories' approach to highlighting the concern for and the value that members of our immigrant and migrant communities bring to Ottawa County," Brugger said.
"The sheriff’s comments last month address the department's approach to serving all, and I don’t have anything further to add to it at this time."
— Sarah Leach is the executive editor of the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at sleach@ottawanewsnetwork.org. Follow her on Twitter @ONNLeach.
