Two east Michigan communities are considering resolutions to counter federal immigration enforcement, a move that could put both state and federal funding in peril.

Saginaw City Councilwoman Carly Hammond on Monday requested a staff review of “a resolution affirming Saginaw as a welcoming community, and committing to the protection of all residents regardless of immigration status” for consideration by the council at its next meeting.

Mayor Brenda Moore suggested any move to signal the city is working to shield illegal immigrants may be a bad idea.

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“I’m not a chicken, and I’m not scared … however, I’m not trying to draw any attention to the city of Saginaw,” she said. “I don’t want anybody in here that don’t need to be in here.”

“Sometimes you can open up a can of worms that doesn’t need to be open, thinking you’re doing the right thing when you’re actually setting people up for failure,” Moore said.

Other council members shared similar concerns, and suggested the council consult with local police and community organizers before adopting the resolution, noting the city’s vision statement makes it clear Saginaw “will be a welcoming community.”

“If we pass this, we might not have no funding,” Mayor Pro Tempore Priscilla Garcia said. “We have to be very precautious. Like they said, if it’s not broke don’t fix it.”

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The council ultimately voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.

Bay City City Commissioner Chris Runberg is preparing a similar resolution for an upcoming meeting to affirm Bay City as a welcoming city and to prohibit local resources for immigration enforcement, MLive reports.

“Labels aside, this resolution is about smart governance and protecting local resources,” Runberg said. “It does not prevent cooperation with federal law enforcement where legally required. Instead, it ensures that Bay City law enforcement remains focused on public safety and crime prevention rather than federal immigration policies.”

Runberg argued his resolution would benefit the city by ensuring illegal immigrants feel safe to report crimes, cooperate with police and seek emergency assistance.

“When residents fear deportation, they are less likely to engage with police, which allows criminals to operate unchecked,” he said. “This resolution strengthens public safety by ensuring that law enforcement remains focused on crime prevention and community trust rather than immigration status.”

“This resolution ensures that taxpayer dollars are used efficiently to protect Bay City residents rather than enforcing federal immigration policies that are outside our jurisdiction,” Runberg said.

Runberg must file the resolution with the city clerk 10 days prior to consideration by the city commission, which meets every other Monday.

The resolutions in Saginaw and Bay City follow similar proposals in Kalamazoo Township and Grand Rapids that have not gained traction amid the largest deportation of illegal immigrants in U.S. history.

Law enforcement officials including Washtenaw County’s newly elected pansexual Sheriff Alyshia Dyer, Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom and others have vowed not to aid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in apprehending those in the country illegally.

The resistance to federal immigration enforcement efforts could come with a heavy price, as President Donald Trump has vowed to slash funding to sanctuary jurisdictions that shield illegal immigrants.

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Twp., also introduced House Resolution 19 last week to cut off taxpayer funds for municipalities that provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

“I would like to see us use funding as a way to punish these sanctuary jurisdictions,” Hall told reporters Thursday. “Let me say it differently: I think it should be an incentive – increased funding beyond what’s constitutionally required is an incentive for things like working to have safer communities through complying with ICE and working and partnering with ICE.”

According to HR 19: “An appropriations bill or conference report shall not be brought for a vote if it contains a legislatively directed spending item for which the intended recipient is a municipality, including any official, department, or board of a municipality, that actively maintains any rule, policy, or ordinance that would subvert immigration enforcement in any way or that refuses to comply with federal immigration enforcement measures.”

Hall said the measure will soon be taken up in committee, and he’s confident it will gain approval, Bridge Michigan reports.

Hall said the resolution would apply to governments where police refuse to arrest or detain based on a criminal federal immigration violation, or jails that require a judicial warrant, rather than a detainer, to hold illegal immigrant criminals for ICE.

The Center for Immigration Studies identifies 10 Michigan municipalities, mostly counties, where “laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE.”

They include jail policies in Luce, Leelanau, Wexford, Muskegon, Kent, Oakland, and Washtenaw counties, as well as sheriff’s policies in Kalamazoo and Wayne counties.

CIS also identifies the city of Lansing as a sanctuary, citing a 2017 city council policy not to honor detainer requests without a criminal arrest warrant.

While the resolution would not apply to the Democratic majority in the Senate, it would block all votes on spending bills in the House that violate the rule, and Hall said Thursday the change is non-negotiable.

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, immediately panned Hall’s resolution, MLive reports.

“The state budget should be seen as a tool to build communities up,” she said. “After these utterly chaotic past two weeks, it’s clear that using funding as a weapon serves no purpose.”

Brinks recently blocked legislation in the Senate to create a DEPORT task force to align state and federal immigration policy, but Hall warned on Thursday resistance to HR 19 is futile.

“If Democrats want to shut down the government for pork projects to sanctuary jurisdictions, I guess they can do that, but the public would not be behind them,” Hall said.

Trump’s Department of Justice, meanwhile, is working to identify state and local officials who “threaten to impede” deportations, The Associated Press reports.

“Federal law prohibits state and local actors from resisting, obstructing and otherwise failing to comply with lawful immigration-related commands and requests,” read a recent memo from Trump Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove. “The U.S. Attorney’s Offices and litigating components of the Department of Justice shall investigate incidents involving any such misconduct for potential prosecution.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi reiterated that message in a memo to employees following her confirmation last week.

“State and local jurisdictions must comply with applicable immigration-related federal laws,” according to the memo cited by BBC. It made clear “state and local actors may not impede, obstruct, or otherwise fail to comply with lawful immigration-related directives.”