Kalamazoo City Commission Pulls $1.25M Grant from Agenda as Residents Applaud Decision

*KALAMAZOO, Mich.* — The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety will not receive a $1.25 million federal grant that would have funded 10 new officers because the award came with conditions tied to federal immigration enforcement that city officials and residents opposed.

The funding, offered through the 2025 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program from the U.S. Department of Justice, would have covered 75% of entry-level salaries and benefits for 10 new officers over three years. The city was required to retain those positions for at least one year after federal funding ended.

City Manager Malcolm Hankins pulled the item from Monday night's city commission agenda at the start of the meeting, citing the need for additional review of the long-term implications of accepting the award.

"It also effectively means non-acceptance of the grant at this time," Hankins said.

The grant would have required the city to comply with federal law 8 U.S.C. § 1373, which states that local governments "may not prohibit" officials from sharing information about a person's citizenship or immigration status with federal agencies.

The grant also included requirements that:

  • The city hire additional officers rather than replacing existing ones
  • The city contribute a local funding match
  • The department eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs that the federal government determines violate federal law

Community Response

Hankins' announcement to remove the agenda item was met with applause from a packed commission chamber where many residents had gathered to speak out against the funding.

This is the second time the item has been pulled from a commission agenda in recent weeks. Hankins also removed the grant from the March 2 meeting without explanation, and commissioners did not discuss it at that time.

Despite the item's removal, several residents used public comment to criticize the city for pursuing the grant in the first place.

"It is impossible that the president knows more about how to police Kalamazoo than our own local police department," said resident Vicki Vannis.

NAACP Kalamazoo President Wendy Fields told commissioners the grant language was "stringent, highly detailed and subjective," and said it appeared to allow the federal government "broad authority to investigate or monitor citizens and non-citizens."

Several commenters expressed concern that the grant conditions could force local police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement operations.

Grant Would Not Require Immigration Enforcement

The grant language reviewed by the commission does not explicitly require cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. The grant would not give federal agencies direct policing authority in Kalamazoo.

However, the inclusion of federal information-sharing requirements — combined with ongoing national controversies over immigration enforcement — has fueled concern among some Kalamazoo residents.

During public comment, members of the clergy, civil rights groups and residents spoke for an hour and 40 minutes supporting the decision to reject the grant.

"We're asking the commission to do the same with any federal money with similar strings attached," one speaker said during the lengthy public comment period.

Commissioners Support Decision

Commissioners Jeanne Hess, Chris Praedel and Jae Slaby expressed support for the decision during the meeting.

"It was the second time the item had been removed from the agenda at the request of commissioners," WKZO reported after the meeting.

City officials did not take further action on the item Monday night. Removing it from the agenda means the grant was not accepted, though it could potentially return for consideration at a future meeting.

The grant was the latest in a series of federal funding decisions facing local jurisdictions amid growing national debates over immigration enforcement and local policing.