Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison is working to fire two officers who contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during encounters with illegal immigrant motorists in violation of the city’s prohibition on local law enforcement cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
The firings are the result of two incidents in which officers reached out to CBP to help them translate when speaking with Spanish speaking illegal immigrants during traffic stops, according to CBS News Detroit.
In a Board of Police Commissioners' meeting on Thursday, Feb. 12, Bettison says that under policy, officers are prohibited from contacting federal agents for translation services. Bettison says the calls resulted in the individuals being detained by federal agents.
"Contacting Border Patrol, ICE or other federal agencies for translation services is strictly prohibited, as it subjects individuals to extreme scrutiny," Bettison said, adding that the department is working with a company that offers certified translation services.
"There's absolutely no reason to contact federal law enforcement agencies to assist with translation services," Bettison said.
Bettison says the two incidents happened in the last few months, on Dec. 16, 2025, and Feb. 9, 2026.
According to Bettison, the December incident was found during a routine audit of body-worn cameras.
Fire them, and NAME THEM so we can make sure other Michigan departments don’t rehire them. https://t.co/3gdN390znu
— Distill Social (@DistillSocial) February 17, 2026
Bettison has already suspended the two officers without pay while he moves toward terminating them.
In the December case, the officer investigated a felony warrant and suspected the individual was not a U.S. citizen. He contacted Border Patrol which later took the individual into custody.
In February, the other officer called Border Patrol for “translation” to help during a traffic stop involving an illegal immigrant who did not speak English. Instead of using the department’s language services hotline, the officer contacted the federal agency, which later detained the driver. Bettison declared that officers who reach out to CBP or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “will be held accountable.”
Law enforcement’s mission is to protect and serve and that’s exactly what these officers did.
— Chairwoman Lisa McClain (@RepLisaMcClain) February 17, 2026
Why are Democrats in Detroit SIDING WITH CRIMINALS instead of following the law??
The police chief should be ashamed. pic.twitter.com/gJMt7FYJTn
Detroit adopted a “welcoming city” ordinance in 2007 that instructs city employees to provide services to residents without taking their immigration status into account. It prohibits officers from inquiring about a person’s legal status except in narrow circumstances.
A legal memo disclosed to the City Council stated that Detroit can restrict how its resources are used for immigration enforcement, it cannot ban federal agents from operating in the city due to the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Even further, the Constitution prevents the federal government from compelling local law enforcement to assist immigration authorities enforcing the law.
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