Pontiac’s Latino community grapples with surge in immigration arrests: ‘I don’t know how people can turn their backs’

Pontiac's Latino community is experiencing a surge in immigration arrests that has created an atmosphere of fear affecting residents regardless of legal status. Since enforcement intensified in 2025, over 400 residents have been arrested by ICE according to community advocates, with the true number likely much higher. The arrests are occurring at grocery stores, churches, and schools, causing families to isolate at home and children to miss school. Most people arrested reportedly have legal documentation like work permits, suggesting broad-based enforcement rather than targeted operations.

Community organizer Elida Reyes founded CAFE (Community Aid For Empowerment) to document arrests, provide legal support, and deliver aid to affected families. The group maintains a map showing arrest clusters in the north side's District 3, the heart of Pontiac's Latino neighborhood. Both the Pontiac City Council and Oakland County Board of Commissioners have passed resolutions opposing certain immigration enforcement activities, though enforcement continues. Questions remain about whether local law enforcement is cooperating with federal immigration agents despite the absence of a formal 287(g) agreement that would explicitly authorize such cooperation.