Detroit, MI – After previously signaling that two Detroit police officers could be fired for contacting U.S. Customs and Border Protection during traffic stops, Detroit Police Chief Todd A. Bettison now appears to be walking that stance back in a newly issued public statement that reads like damage control.
The controversy began when Bettison indicated the officers’ actions could cost them their jobs. Instead, the discipline ultimately resulted in 30-day suspensions without pay. Bettison then publicly walked back his call for the officers to be fired.
Now, in a media advisory released February 23, 2026, the Chief is going out of his way to stress that the Detroit Police Department values its federal partnerships and is aligned with immigration authorities.
“The Detroit Police Department continues to work with our federal partners to deliver historic crime reductions in our city,” Bettison stated. He also emphasized, “Detroit has never been a sanctuary city,” adding that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that interfering with that function “undermines public safety.”
The timing and tone of the statement have raised eyebrows. The advisory was not tied to a new development, arrest, or policy shift. Instead, it appears to serve as a clarification…or correction to the narrative that formed after the initial disciplinary announcement.
Notably, Bettison now says the personnel decisions “were not a result of officers working with the Department of Homeland Security,” but rather for “failing to follow the proper procedures defining how we work with them.” He further described DHS as “one of our valued federal partners.”
The shift in messaging stands in contrast to the earlier public posture suggesting termination. While the officers will return after their unpaid suspensions, the Chief’s latest statement reads as an attempt to reassure federal agencies and critics alike that Detroit remains cooperative and not adversarial when it comes to immigration enforcement.
Whether this was a voluntary clarification or the result of outside pressure remains unclear. What is clear is that the tone has changed.
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