A monthly recap of key discussions, resolutions, and community voices — with a focus on what matters for Detroit residents, including those with disabilities.

February was a pivotal month at Detroit City Council. Three formal sessions — February 3rd, 17th, and 24th — tackled some of the most pressing issues facing the city: ICE enforcement and sanctuary city protections, a housing crisis at the Leland House apartment building, ongoing problems with DDOT and building code enforcement, voter access, and a wave of new task forces. Here is what you need to know.

ICE, Sanctuary City, and Local Protections (All Month)

Immigration enforcement was the defining issue of February, threading through every session. The pressure from residents has been building since January, and this month it produced real institutional responses.

On February 3rd, CM Gabriela Santiago-Romero formally submitted a memo to the Legislative Policy Division and the Law Department asking five pointed questions: How can Detroit ban or limit ICE operations within city limits? On city property? Near schools, hospitals, clinics, and places of worship? In conjunction with DPD? And what sanctuary city policies do other major cities have that Detroit lacks? The memo referenced the killing of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good by masked ICE officers in Minneapolis and noted that this was the 9th ICE shooting since September.

By February 17th, the conversation had escalated further. Council interrogated DPD after news broke that some officers had contacted ICE or Border Patrol during traffic stops — a direct violation of department policy. DPD Chief Todd Bettison requested those officers be placed on unpaid administrative leave. CM Santiago-Romero pushed for transparency and raised the possibility of restricting data-sharing with ICE and requiring ICE agents to unmask. Council also formally recognized Michigan Senate Bills 508-510, which would restrict immigration enforcement in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

A note on disability: Michigan SB 508 specifically lists organizations serving people with significant mental or physical disabilities as sensitive locations where ICE enforcement would be restricted. Fear of ICE has also been linked to residents avoiding medical care — a direct pathway to preventable disability and worsening health outcomes.

The Leland House Crisis: A System That Failed Its Residents (Feb 17 & 24)

One of the most serious issues of the month was the Leland House apartment building crisis — a situation that reveals what happens when landlord accountability fails and the most vulnerable residents pay the price.

Here is the short version: Three years ago, BSEED (Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department) entered a consent agreement with the building owners requiring them to bring the building up to code and address health and safety violations. They never fully complied. DTE suspended power because bills went unpaid. When the transformer broke, the building lost electricity, heat, and elevator access. The fire marshal declared it unsafe, residents were displaced with almost no warning and could not retrieve their belongings. The owners then claimed to have only $77,000 in reserve and filed for bankruptcy.

Council members were pointed in their critique:

• Why were tenants paying full rent while the building was out of compliance? Why wasn’t rent placed in escrow?
• The building was 87% unoccupied. Why were 43 families still living there? Did it have a valid certificate of occupancy?
• BSEED issued fines but was not aggressive enough with repeat violations — electricity failures, heat outages, rodents, mold, and standing water had all been documented.
• By February 24th, a court agreement was reached: owners must spend $100,000 on tenant relocation, and the building cannot be sold until tenants can retrieve their belongings. Criminal charges remain uncertain.

A note on disability: Displaced residents lost jobs, clothes, belongings, and in some cases filed for bankruptcy. For residents with disabilities, sudden displacement from a building with no working elevator or heat is especially dangerous. This situation underscores the need for early intervention, accessible housing standards, and real consequences for landlords who neglect code compliance.

Building Inspections, Elevators, and Landlord Accountability (Feb 3)

Separate from Leland House, the February 3rd session included a sharp exchange between Council and BSEED Director David Bell about a different building — the Camper Stevens Apartments at 1410 Washington Blvd., downtown. Residents (many of them seniors and people with disabilities) reported a single functioning elevator, broken security, and random people entering the building without authorization.

Council pushed Bell to explain why BSEED’s documentation did not match resident complaints. Bell noted that in 2025, BSEED issued 15,000 tickets and collected over $600,000 in fines from landlords — but at $40 per ticket, Council questioned whether penalties were strong enough to deter repeat offenders. This is a conversation worth continuing, particularly given how directly building safety affects disabled and elderly residents.

Voting Rights and Barriers to Access (Feb 17)

CM Santiago-Romero’s Resolution in Support of Local Democracy was passed on February 17th. Keeping in mind that an out-of-state interest group is furthering their agenda to meddle with the Michigan political process, the resolution opposed any ballot proposal that would impose documentary proof of citizenship requirements for voter registration — such as requiring a birth certificate or passport to vote. Michigan’s election system has received national recognition for its integrity and accessibility, earning an A+ grade in the Institute for Responsive Government’s Election Progress Report in both 2023 and 2024. As state and federal law already prohibit non-citizens from voting, and existing safeguards ensure the voting process is secure, imposing even MORE documentation requirements would only serve to prevent current American citizens from voting.

The resolution notes that nearly 700,000 Michiganders do not have easy access to the documents these proposals would require, with disproportionate impacts on people with disabilities, married women, rural voters, low-income voters, and older adults. Residents and Council members alike argued that new documentation requirements solve a problem that does not exist while creating real barriers for vulnerable populations.

Detroit also accepted a $99,388.80 Early Voting Grant from the State of Michigan to support implementation and execution of early voting — a win for accessibility.

New Task Forces, Health Resources, and Key Resolutions

February saw a significant expansion of City Council task forces. Four new bodies were established that have direct implications for vulnerable residents:

• Home Preservation & Foreclosure Prevention Task Force — housing instability is a major driver of health decline and disability.
• Mental Health and Public Safety Task Force — a long-overdue conversation about the intersection of mental health and policing.
• Children and Youth Task Force on Truancy and Curfew Violations — which may have connections to mental health and family instability.
• Equitable Development Task Force — an important venue for advocating accessible design in new development.

Other notable resolutions and resources:

• Community health workers are being placed in each City Council district to meet residents where they are — in community centers and other local spaces. This contract through Southeastern Michigan Health targets seniors, uninsured residents, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
• A Healthy Aging Through Parks and Recreation (SHAPR) grant was accepted — directly relevant to disabled and aging residents.
• Six lactation pods are being funded through a grant — worth monitoring to ensure they meet accessibility standards.
• FREE caregiver support services are available through Mrs. Deborah — call 313-484-3808 for monthly massages, nail care, and other wellness services for caregivers.

Ongoing Concerns: DDOT, Property Taxes, and Kronos Pollution

Several issues persisted across all three February sessions without resolution:

• DDOT reliability continues to be a source of frustration. Buses are not following their routes, residents are missing medical appointments, and the burden falls hardest on those with no alternative transportation. For any DDOT-related complaint, call 313-933-1300.
• The $600 million in unaccounted property tax overpayments from 2009 continues to be raised by residents nearly every week with no response from the city.
• Kronos Concrete, a crushing facility in District 3, is being called out by residents for polluting neighborhoods and schools and damaging residents’ health. A request has been made to downzone the facility.
• Water bill rates are projected to increase by 25% this fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department — a significant burden for low-income residents.
• Snow and ice removal services were flagged again as inadequate — a particular concern for residents with mobility limitations.

The Bottom Line

February showed Detroit City Council at its most engaged — grilling departments, demanding accountability from landlords, pushing back against federal immigration enforcement, and passing resolutions that reflect the community’s priorities. But it also showed the limits of that engagement when systemic issues like property tax accountability, DDOT reliability, and building code enforcement remain unresolved week after week.

The issues raised this month — housing, safety, voting access, transportation, health — are not separate problems. They are connected, and they fall disproportionately on the same people: seniors, people with disabilities, low-income residents, and immigrant communities. That intersection is exactly why civic engagement matters.

I’ll continue tracking these sessions monthly. If you have questions or want to get involved, reach out.