Sterling Heights -- Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor again criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying its agents "regularly violate" human rights and constitutional rights.
Speaking at a Sterling Heights City Council meeting on Tuesday, Taylor, the mayor of Michigan's fifth largest city, said he's seen "hundreds" of videos of ICE agents attacking "helpless" people. Even as a few members of the public voiced concern about comments Taylor made previously, the mayor questioned the professionalism of ICE agents. At one point, he went back and forth with at least two residents.
"I've seen hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of videos of ICE agents attacking helpless people, assaulting helpless people, violating their civil rights, their human rights, their constitutional rights," he said.
Taylor, who has been Sterling Heights' mayor since 2014, made headlines in January by lambasting ICE and expressing a desire for the police department to sever ties with federal law agencies and change traffic stop procedures.
While city officials said the department recently "clarified" its policy to "re-emphasize" traffic stop protocol, a police spokesman told The Detroit News the revamped directive simply reiterates what officers have done for decades and that no changes are imminent.
When asked about the mayor's comments about his proposed changes, Sterling Heights Police Capt. Mario Bastianelli told The News: "That's not going to happen.""The mayor said these are things he'd like to see, but just because the mayor says he wishes something would happen, that doesn't mean we're going to do it," Bastianelli said in January. "We've had the same policy for dealing with people we stop who don't have authorization to be in this country, and nothing will change."
During a public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting, a man wearing an ICE hat who didn't say his name noted that the federal agency is "not acting outside of the Constitution, nor is it terrorizing this community." He said ICE targets people with "violent and serious criminal history."
Alecia Swejkoski told the council that she is concerned by Taylor's comments. She expressed support for the city's cooperation with ICE. Her family has been affected by crime, she said. Last year, a man allegedly struck her son with a car after he allegedly tried to kidnap the boy's cousin. Endi Bala was later charged.
"We expect every elected official to be our voice, support our local law enforcement with every lawful, cooperative tool available, and yes, that means federal agents -- for those who are here illegally and committing heinous crimes, especially when it comes to life felonies against our next generation leaders,"
she said.
But Taylor said ICE agents don't have the training that the city's police officers have. He also said immigration judges are being forced to release many ICE detainees.
At one point in his address, Taylor said to a member of the audience, "Shut your mouth, man."
"I didn't interrupt you; why do you feel like you can do it to me?" he added.
Speaking to The Detroit News on Wednesday, Taylor said he has a tendency to "want to set the record straight when I think people are saying things that are not correct."
"The discussion seemed to turn on whether or not I support the Sterling Heights Police Department,"
which has never been the issue here,"
he told The News.
Taylor noted that he has an over 16-year record of supporting the police department.
"The reason I can be proud of our police department is because we don't violate constitutional rights on a daily basis,"
he said.
"We don't violate human rights on a daily basis. We don't ignore court orders on a daily basis. We don't assault, tear gas and kill American citizens with regularity."