Detroit Mayor Won’t Apologize After Immigrant Groups Condemn Him For Using The Term ‘Illegal’

Detroit Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan refused to apologize to leftist immigrant rights groups for using the term “illegal” to describe the migrants in his city who entered the U.S. illegally.

Last week, Duggan used the term “illegal” when discussing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Detroit. Nine immigrant rights groups in Michigan condemned the mayor on Wednesday, saying in a press release that the “use of the I-word” is “dehumanizing,” The Detroit News reported.

“The Mayor’s use of the I-word is inappropriate, dehumanizing, and an insult to Detroit’s longstanding immigrant communities,” the groups said in their joint statement.

Duggan, who recently launched a campaign for governor, responded to the criticism, saying that the groups are condemning him over “political correctness.” He added, “During my term as Mayor, Detroit has been a welcoming city, where we support the success of immigrants. But when Detroit police make a criminal arrest and DPD gets federal notification that the person in custody is in the country illegally, we should not and do not shield you from federal enforcement.”

“Groups who oppose this position are criticizing me today over the political correctness of my statements, but I do not apologize for providing a clear explanation of Detroit’s position,” Duggan continued. “It is a position we have followed consistently through the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations.”

The groups that signed the press release included the African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs, American Citizens for Justice, the Caribbean Community Services Center, MI Poder, One Michigan for Immigrant Rights, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and 1 Michigan for the Global Majority, according to The Detroit News.

At a press conference last Thursday, Duggan emphasized that Detroit is “not a sanctuary city” as President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up arrests and deportations of criminal illegal immigrants.

“If you are in this country illegally, we should not be shielding you from ICE and federal enforcement, and the city of Detroit does not,” the mayor said, according to the Detroit Free Press. He added that Detroit police “have always cooperated with ICE.”

Federal agents ramped up immigration raids last week, targeting sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago. This week, newly minted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was on the ground in New York City as federal agents arrested violent illegal immigrants. ICE agents were also on the ground in Detroit over the weekend, Fox 2 reported.

Duggan, a longtime Democrat mayor, announced in early December that he is running for Michigan governor in the 2026 election as an independent. He said Michigan is being “held back”  by “political fighting” and “nonsense.”