Kalamazoo City Commission pulls proposed COPS hiring grant after hours of public opposition over ICE/DHS conditions

The Kalamazoo City Commission removed a proposed FY25 COPS hiring grant from tonight's agenda after more than two hours of public comment urging the city not to accept federal funding that speakers said could require cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security.

Scores of residents, faith leaders and local advocacy groups told commissioners the grant's written conditions — which commenters repeatedly identified as including requirements to cooperate with federal agencies, to comply with presidential memoranda and executive orders, and a clause they said could constrain diversity, equity and inclusion programs — would undermine trust between the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) and immigrant communities. "This grant requires the city to comply with federal laws, executive orders and presidential memoranda," a representative of Isaac told the commission, citing specific grant language. "That condition is not procedural language. It is a commitment."

Why it matters: Speakers said accepting the grant would expose residents to immigration enforcement and reduce willingness to report crime, diminishing public safety for vulnerable populations. Several speakers also highlighted fiscal risk: many grants fund officer salaries for three years, after which local taxpayers would reportedly be responsible for sustaining positions if federal reimbursements were delayed or discontinued.

Public testimony: The meeting drew a packed chamber. Wendy Fields, president of the Kalamazoo NAACP, described the grant's 39 conditions as "stringent, highly detailed and subjective," saying they could allow broad federal monitoring and undermine civil‑rights protections. Rabbi Simone Scher of Temple Bonnet Israel said her congregation declined similar federal grants and urged the commission to do the same if conditions threatened congregational programs or community safety. Multiple speakers recounted local and regional incidents they said demonstrated the risks of linking local policing to federal immigration enforcement.

City response and next steps: City Manager Hankins and commissioners said removing item H‑3 from tonight's agenda would allow further review; manager remarks in the meeting record indicate removal "effectively means non‑acceptance of the grant at this time." Commissioners also noted they have a deadline (referenced in public testimony as mid‑April) to act on the application and that additional legal and financial analysis will be required before any final decision.

What did not happen: The commission did not vote to accept the grant tonight. No formal final acceptance or rejection was recorded; the item was removed from the meeting agenda and deferred for further review.

Context: Commenters and organizational representatives named three grant provisions as especially concerning: a condition that would require cooperation with federal agencies including sharing information on immigration status; a clause that commenters said could be used to challenge local diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and a broad requirement to comply with presidential memoranda and executive orders (which commenters said could bind the city to future directives). Speakers repeatedly said those provisions carry both civil‑rights and public‑safety consequences.

Looking ahead: Commissioners asked staff for more information and signaled a need for legal and fiscal analysis before the commission would consider the grant again. Community groups in the chamber vowed continued vigilance and said they would return to the dais if the item reappears.