Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said Tuesday she is prepared to investigate and prosecute federal immigration officers if they violate the law after news surfaced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is opening an office in Southfield.
McDonald’s warning comes as immigrant advocates and Democratic leaders question the federal government’s intentions for a leased office at One Towne Square near the M-10 and I-696 interchange. While city officials say the space is designated for administrative and legal work, critics fear it could mean ICE is expanding in Southeast Michigan.
“The escalation by federal immigration officers in U.S. cities has created fear and uncertainty for public school officials, community leaders, and residents,” McDonald said in a statement. “ICE’s presence in Southfield will only heighten that fear.”
McDonald added that “everyone in Oakland County” is “entitled to basic constitutional rights, including the right to be free from unlawful arrest, regardless of immigration status.”
McDonald said she has already provided guidance to local school districts on how to protect students and ensure they understand their constitutional rights.
“I am committed to working with Oakland County’s local law enforcement to ensure everyone’s rights are protected and that allegations of lawlessness — including by federal officers — are fully and transparently investigated by independent authorities,” McDonald said. “As Oakland County Prosecutor, I will hold anyone who breaks the law accountable, no matter who they are. No one is above the law.”
McDonald’s response follows tension between local officials nationwide and federal immigration authorities. In Minnesota, state investigators recently said the FBI refused to share evidence in the fatal shooting investigations of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, making it difficult for local authorities to independently review the cases.
In Southfield, the controversy centers on a lease executed by the U.S. General Services Administration for office space to support ICE operations. The city said the space would be used for administrative and legal functions and that enforcement officers would not operate from the location.
Immigrant advocates and Democratic leaders, including U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, have admonished ICE’s presence in Southfield.
“ICE has no place in Michigan,” Tlaib said in a statement last week. “This is an unaccountable and violent agency that terrorizes and brutalizes our communities every day. We have all watched as ICE agents execute American citizens in broad daylight and detain and deport our immigrant neighbors with no regard for their wellbeing, right to due process, or the myriad other laws and court orders restricting their illegal operations.”
Detroit attorney Mark Brewer suggested the office could be used to tamper with the November elections.
“ICE isn’t coming to Southfield because it’s a hotbed of illegal immigration (it ain’t) but to make Southfield its headquarters for voter suppression in the fall elections on behalf of Trump and the GOP,” Brewer said on X.
In the first 10 months of 2025, ICE detained more than 2,300 immigrants in Michigan. Most had no criminal record.