EXCLUSIVE: Trump Administration Suffers Legal Blow in ICE Crackdown — As Judge Tosses Bid to Force County to Cooperate With Agency
Trump's immigration crackdown has been dealt a major courtroom setback.
Aug. 26 2026, Updated 8:00 p.m. ET
President Trump's administration has suffered a legal setback in its immigration crackdown after a federal judge tossed the government's lawsuit seeking to force a Michigan county to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to court documents obtained by Radar, U.S. District Judge F. Kay Behm granted Washtenaw County's motion to dismiss in full, declaring that neither the federal government nor the president can "conscript local officials to enforce their will."
The 86-page ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the United States, through Trump's DOJ, in April against Washtenaw County, Sheriff Alyshia Dyer, Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit, and other local entities and officials over policies limiting their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
ICE Crackdown
ICE has been at the center of Trump's sweeping immigration enforcement push.
The dispute comes amid the Trump administration's aggressive push against so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions.
Trump previously directed the attorney general and Department of Homeland Security secretary to withhold certain federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions and pursue legal action against local practices deemed to interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
DOJ's Civil Division subsequently filed more than a dozen lawsuits during 2025 and 2026 attempting to compel states and localities to assist federal immigration efforts, according to the ruling. Washtenaw County, however, adopted policies limiting how its resources could be used to assist ICE.
Washtenaw County Pushes Back Against ICE
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer was among the local officials named in the federal lawsuit.
The sheriff's office directed officers not to ask about immigration status while performing their duties and said individuals would not be detained solely on an ICE immigration detainer or removal warrant without a valid judicial warrant or court order.
The county also restricted federal immigration officers from conducting civil immigration enforcement on county property without a judicial warrant or court order.
The federal government argued the policies conflicted with federal immigration law and interfered with ICE operations.
Judge Rejects Bid: Trump Can't Enforce Their Will'
The judge ruled the administration could not force local authorities to cooperate with ICE as it demanded.
But Behm rejected the administration's effort to compel greater cooperation, writing that the Immigration and Nationality Act generally allows state and local cooperation with federal immigration officials but does not require local governments to comply with every federal request.
The judge delivered particularly pointed language while addressing the constitutional limits on Washington's authority over local governments. Behm wrote: "Neither the federal government nor the President may conscript local officials to enforce their will."
The judge added that nothing in the text of the INA required the outcome sought by the government and ruled the administration could not otherwise force local authorities to enforce Trump's priorities in its preferred manner.
Courtroom Blow
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Trump's administration has pursued legal action against jurisdictions that resist its immigration enforcement agenda.
The court documents reveal tensions between ICE and Washtenaw County had already escalated before the lawsuit.
After objecting to the county's policies, ICE removed the sheriff's office from a Homeland Security Investigations task force focused on s-- -trafficking crimes, stopped sharing certain asset-seizure funds, and warned of additional potential consequences involving federal contracts, grants, and other funding.
When those measures failed to change the county's position, the United States filed suit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the challenged policies.
Behm ultimately sided with the county and dismissed the administration's case, delivering another courtroom battle over the limits of Trump's sweeping immigration enforcement agenda.
