Kalamazoo Rejects $1.25M Federal Police Grant Over Immigration Stipulations

City Commissioners Pull Federal Hiring Grant Ahead of April Deadline

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The City of Kalamazoo will not be accepting a $1.25 million federal grant that would have helped fund 10 new public safety officers for the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) due to uncertain stipulations tied to the funding.

The funding was offered through the 2025 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program from the U.S. Department of Justice.

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 covered 75% of entry-level salaries and benefits for 10 new officers over three years, with the city required to retain those positions for at least a year after federal funding ended. The total budget amendment requested of the commission was $1.52 million.

After Hankins' announcement to remove the agenda item, the packed commission chambers erupted in applause from residents who had come to speak out against the grant.

There were 39 conditions attached to the grant, including a requirement that the city comply with all applicable federal laws, presidential memoranda and executive orders.

An hour and a half of public comment included dozens of community members and advocacy groups thanking the commission for rejecting the offer, stating that the award conditions could force local police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

NAACP Kalamazoo President Wendy Fields told commissioners the 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 called out a condition that would prohibit grant recipients from operating any programs with diversity, equity and inclusion components that the federal government determines violate civil rights laws, stating that it was in conflict with KDPS policy, which limits local officers' role in federal immigration enforcement.

Under KDPS policy 414, KDPS officers are prohibited from arresting or detaining anyone solely suspected of being an illegal immigrant or soliciting immigration status information from people who are seeking police services or were a victim or witness to a crime.

"While we are aware that KDPS does not generally ask for immigration status when contacting individuals for service, as is laid out in KDPS Policy 414, the federal government could put undue pressure on local law enforcement through the stipulations of this grant to disregard or change this policy," one community member said.

The grant had also been pulled from the commission's March 2 agenda, according to commissioners.

With the acceptance deadline set for April 16 and the commission not scheduled to meet again before then, Commissioner Jae Slaby announced that the grant is effectively dead.

"With the deadline being the 16th, we won't be meeting again for that to be accepted," Slaby said during commissioner comments. "I think that this reflects our most recent decisions on other grants as well."

Vice Mayor Drew Duncan said the decision reflected the commission's commitment to earning public trust, but warned that similar wording is appearing across many incoming federal grant offers.

"This language is being tucked into many of the federal grants that are coming to the city," Duncan said. "Just as we were vigilant tonight, please make sure that you're keeping an eye on the agenda for when other dollars come into the city."

KDPS applied for the COPS grant in July 2025 under the "Reducing Gun Violence" category.

2025 crime data cited by KDPS in the grant application showed violent crime down 14% from 2024 and 22% over two years, while property crime dropped 13% from the prior year, however the department cited the opening of the new downtown Kalamazoo Event Center and an anticipated 210-240 events annually as factors driving the need for additional officers.

A yearslong nationwide shortage of law enforcement personnel has left agencies in West Michigan, including KDPS, scrambling to find officers, according to previous reports.

In November 2020, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety accepted a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to hire 15 officers intended to help strengthen community relationships and reduce gun violence as part of the COPS program.

KDPS Chief David Boysen said the Trump administration is slipping its directives into unrelated grant opportunities.

"They say you get $2 million for science and we get cooperation with ICE and you have to gut your DEI department," City Manager Hankins said at the meeting.

"Moral courage is standing up and saying that as long as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and DHS are ignoring the U.S. Constitution ... then we will not accept federal money that comes with stipulations that require us to comply with those agencies or with those executive orders," resident Sarah Schmidt said.

KDPS Chief David Boysen said standard language has been included in this type of grant since 1996.

"We certainly don't want to create more fear," Boysen said. "We certainly are not going to compromise on our values and policy."

Boysen did not comment further on whether these stipulations would represent a departure from current KDPS policy.

KDPS will not participate in a "sweep" or physical apprehension for immigration violations, it will only provide information to ICE if the person in question has been arrested on a criminal charge or is a suspect in a criminal investigation, department spokesperson Zach Hamelton said in January.

KDPS has had no communication or interaction with ICE regarding immigration operations in Kalamazoo.

Given the response to the potential grant, the department will likely pursue other funding opportunities, Boysen said.

"I'm grateful to our allies on the City Commission that helped because they raised awareness on this issue," organizer Silvano Vanegas said, standing alongside an ICE OUT sign in front of City Hall.

News Channel 3 is working to arrange an interview with KDPS Chief David Boysen for more information about the COPS grant, current KDPS staffing needs, and future funding for additional public safety officers.