ICE, Immigration, and Owls
Hello CRAGgys,
We have unconfirmed reports this morning that ICE or border patrol are trying to book hotel rooms locally. Turns out it's hard to book blocks of rooms during Winter Carnival week. Please be alert and report any activity.
KI and others are coordinating on a rapid response team (RRT) for ICE activity. Please share any information, with as much documentation as you have to: KeweenawIceWatch.proton.me.
If you want to be involved in this rapid response effort, please join Keweenaw Indivisible or KATO to connect to training and community response teams. As we can see from Minnesota, coordination, trust, and teamwork are essential for effective responses.
Minnesota Updates
Despite conciliatory words, ICE action is continuing in Minnesota. Protests and community support are likewise ongoing.
And a few quick points:
Our friend Greg Ketter of Dreamhaven Books speaks truth to power. Go Greg!!
- The Minnesota Department of Corrections(!) has released a fact page to "Combat DHS Misinformation" (i.e. correct their lies).
- EFF has documented some of the sophisticated surveillance ICE is using on protestors and targets. They also produce surveillance self-defense guide.
Who are the immigrants in Michigan?
There are 740,300 immigrants in Michigan; 7.4% of the population. Only 15% are undocumented. However, ICE does not discriminate in terrorizing people; they are allowed to grab people based on their accent, skin color, or anything else the agent deems to be suspicious.
- Immigrants pay $8.2B in Michigan state taxes and $2.7B in local taxes.
Who is ICE arresting and detaining in Michigan?
Bridge MI has published a summary of detentions in Michigan from January through October 2025.
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, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data provided to the Deportation Data Project through Freedom of Information Act requests.
ICE had detained 3,338 people in Michigan — most of them at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, which reopened as a detention center in June 2025 — last year through October, nearly triple the number detained in the same timeframe in 2024. Most came from Mexico.
Fewer than 100 of those people were ever charged with serious crimes. The vast majority have not been charged with any crime at all. For those who have been charged, the most common offenses were DUI or overstaying a visa. Simply being undocumented is not a crime, it is a civil infraction (like a parking ticket). In Michigan, Minnesota, and throughout the country, people convicted of serious crimes are routinely deported after serving their sentences, with full cooperation between Homeland Security and local or state law enforcement.
About 36% of current detainees in Michigan are from Mexico; 18% are from Venezuela, most of the others are from other Latin American countries, with a few from China, India, and others.
Routes to Citizenship
Most Americans want fair, sensible immigration policies. Indeed, many people support immigration arrests by saying "why can't they come the legal way like my (grand-), (greatgrand-), parents did?" But, for many people there is no legal route. The is current no path for people brought to the US as children ("Dreamers") to become citizens; more than 800,000 Dreamers are stuck in this DACA limbo. The Biden "U.S. Citizenship Act" was killed in committee and the 2024 bipartisan border bill was killed by republicans at the behest of their presidential candidate.
For the gory details on the rules see "Every legal route to US residency, explained" (AP) and "How The Us Immigration System Works" (American Immigration Council).
The upshot is it's complicated, slow, unwieldy, and outdated. People who try to follow the rules can get tripped up with minor inconsistencies. Spouses of legal residents can be forced to leave the country for 10 years before applying to change their status. It is quite difficult for workers who arrive on temporary visas to transition to resident status.
There are approximately 3.7 million pending applicants for family-based green cards, and around 121,000 waiting for employment-based green cards. Demand far exceeds supply and slow processing times mean a growing backlog of cases.
And now, ICE is detaining people who are showing up for the court appearances required for their legal process. So people correctly following the required steps are finding themselves dragged off to prison.
Several bills have been introduced in Michigan to ban ICE agents from wearing masks, and prohibit raids in hospitals, churches and courthouses. The Michigan Supreme Court is considering banning civil arrests in state courthouses.
Hats and Crafts against ICE
The Guardian reports that anti-ICE hats are leading a wave of "rage knitting" inspired by historical Norwegian anti-Nazi headgear. Patterns from Ravelry.
Emma's February Community Calendar is out!
Sarah Green
Local Housing Aid (ongoing)
AWAVE and Keweenaw Indivisible are working with the Salvation Army to provide housing assistance. The Western UP does not have a homeless shelter. Please donate.
Local orgs are raising money to help our neighbors with housing-related issues such as utility bills and emergency shelter this winter. Please contribute if you are able! One-hundred percent of the proceeds will remain local and go towards supporting those experiencing housing insecurity or at risk of homelessness.
When and Where to Speak UP
Check the calendar for details.
Here's the list view of Elected Official Meetings: https://calendar.online/electedofficialmeetings.
I want company, I will go with you. Drop me a line.
Some public body meets somewhere every single week; take 30 minutes to show up and express your opinion. (Sample statements.) And let me know if you go and what you learn.
Houghton County Jail Committees
The 2026 jail project needs public input! You can show up and just observe one of the committees, or speak up! Details and schedules.
January 30
- Calumet Township, 1 pm
Why and how to attend local meetings
Events
- February 22, Know Your Rights Training, at Michigan Tech, KATO leading.
- Mark your calendar: NO KINGS 3.0, March 28, 2026
Organizational Meetings
Details are on the CALENDAR. (Organizers: Please send updates when times, dates, locations change!) These groups are all very welcoming. Drop by a meeting to connect with friendly faces. Any level of engagement contributes to making our world better.
Houghton/Hancock
- Yoopers for Ukraine 🇺🇦 Rally at the bridge Sundays at 3 pm.
- Keweenaw Indivisible meets 3rd Tuesdays, 6-8 pm (work groups at 6, general membership at 7) at the KUUF. (Join KI). [Note meeting has been shifted to accommodate the HoCo Commission, which meets on the 2nd Tuesdays.]
- Houghton County Dems meet every 1st Wednesday, 7 pm at the Super 8.
- 4th Wednesdays AWAVE, 6 pm. Gathering at KUU Fellowship Houghton.
- 3rd Sundays, 7-8:45 pm, Keweenaw Against the Oligarchy Monthly Action Committee (KATO). Please register at the link to help with the headcount.
Baraga
- Baraga County Democrats, 3rd Tuesdays at 6 pm, L'Anse Township Hall
Marquette
- Every Tuesday evening at 7pm, Yoopers Unite, a gathering of local pro-democracy groups, at LoveMarq Church, 728 W. Kaye Ave, Marquette.
- Visibility Brigade Demonstrations take place regularly in Marquette and Ishpeming. Click here for information and to register through Mobilize.
- Saturday Morning Demonstrations at the Post Office in Marquette: Members of Citizens for Peace and Justice, Lake Superior Region Indivisible, Yoopers Unite, area community members, friends and neighbors gather for a peaceful demonstration at the Marquette Post Office every Saturday from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm.
- Subscribe for free to the Lake Superior Region Indivisible newsletter here. Contact LSRI at lsrindivisible@gmail.com
Michigan
- Statewide Indivisible Michigan (SWIM). This page lists various virtual events for statewide connections.
Leaving MAGA resource
- Leaving maga resources by former MAGA folks that might help people speaking with friends and relatives.
The owls have an egg! And I spotted dinner delivery a few days ago.
Skyline enter Owlcam: https://www.coppercountrybirds.org/webcams
Thanks for all your support and all your efforts to promote and expand freedom, justice and democracy!
Stay safe,
Sarah
This FAQ page answers common questions about CRAG.