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

Immigration enforcement activity has intensified sharply in Pontiac since early 2025, with an estimated 400+ arrests documented by a community advocacy group called CAFE. The enforcement is occurring near grocery stores, churches, and schools, creating fear that's keeping residents home and affecting daily life across the city regardless of immigration status. A lifelong Pontiac resident named Elida Reyes started CAFE to document arrests, deliver aid to affected families, and provide legal support—the organization tracks enforcement locations with a detailed pushpin map showing heavy concentration in the north-side Latino neighborhood.

Local officials have responded: the Pontiac City Council and Oakland County Board of Commissioners both passed resolutions opposing certain immigration enforcement activities. There's ongoing tension about whether the Oakland County Sheriff's Office is assisting federal ICE agents, though the sheriff's office says it only intersects with immigration cases through the jail after state or local arrests are made. ICE made 3,298 arrests statewide in 2025 and declined to comment on Pontiac-specific activity.