Sanctuary cities exist for one reason: to make sure illegal aliens never have to worry about a cop picking up the phone.
Detroit just proved it.
Now, a 27-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department is now in federal court – and what she did to end up there will make your blood boil.
How Detroit Police Sgt. Denise Wallet Got Suspended for Following Orders
February 9th, 3:15 in the afternoon.
Sgt. Denise Wallet responds to a traffic stop where the driver hands over a photo of a fraudulent Michigan driver's license.
The department's fingerprint scanner can't identify the man.
She calls her lieutenant.
The lieutenant says: call Border Patrol.
She does.
Border Patrol arrives, identifies the man, and takes him into federal custody – because he's in the country illegally.
Wallet is suspended the next morning.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison claims she violated department policy banning "differential treatment" based on immigration status.
Her attorney Solomon Radner says that's flat wrong.
"At no point in time did she contact them for translation purposes," Radner told Fox News. "Absolutely no policy was violated whatsoever."
Body camera footage backs Wallet up completely.
It captures her lieutenant explicitly ordering her to make the call.
The department hasn't said a word about the lieutenant.
He still has his job.
DHS Called Her an American Hero — So Detroit Hit Her With a Federal Lawsuit
"It's absurd that two Detroit police officers would face punishment for alerting CBP about a criminal illegal alien," DHS posted on X. "They are American heroes who chose public safety first."
ICE posted their job application link and told the suspended officers directly: "We have a place for you, patriots."
Chief Bettison initially wanted Wallet and Officer James Corsi fired outright.
The Board of Police Commissioners voted 10-0 to suspend them without pay for 30 days instead.
Bettison only backed off termination after Wallet filed a federal lawsuit and Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall warned that firing the officers could cost Detroit its state funding – because Michigan law prohibits earmarks to sanctuary cities.
Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox launched a GoFundMe that raised nearly $28,000 for the officers within days.
Meanwhile, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a member of AOC’s Squad, celebrated the suspensions.
A Detroit City Council member moved to create a hotline so residents could report any cop who cooperates with ICE.
The federal government called these officers heroes, the community raised them $28,000, and Detroit's elected Democrats celebrated their punishment and built a snitch line to catch the next one.
Why Detroit's Sanctuary City Policy May Actually Violate Federal Law
Wallet's federal lawsuit makes a point that should keep every sanctuary city mayor up at night.
Federal law – specifically 8 U.S. Code Section 1373 – forbids local governments from blocking their officers from communicating with immigration authorities.
Wallet didn't enforce immigration law.
She didn't ask the man his status.
The city is arguing that protecting illegal aliens from identification matters more than a cop following her chain of command.
That's what Detroit's welcoming city policy actually does: it makes sure officers like Denise Wallet think twice before picking up the phone – even when their lieutenant is telling them to do it.
Detroit's assistant police chief told the City Council this week: "We're just not in the immigration business. We never have been. Never will be."
He's right that Detroit isn't in the immigration business.
Detroit is in the business of punishing cops who are.
Detroit's welcoming city policy has one problem: Congress already wrote the law that overrides it.
Sources:
- Garrett Tenney, "Detroit police sergeant files lawsuit after suspension for calling Border Patrol," Fox News, February 25, 2026.
- Staff, "Detroit Police sergeant who sought aid from Border Patrol sues to keep job," The Detroit News, February 20, 2026.
- Steve Neavling, "Detroit police chief backs down from firing cops who called Border Patrol," Detroit Metro Times, February 20, 2026.
- Staff, "Detroit Police Officers Punished For Cooperating With Border Patrol. ICE Tells Them To Apply For Jobs," The Daily Wire, February 20, 2026.
- Staff, "Detroit Officers Suspended for CBP Calls Amid Federal Pressure," The Dupree Report, February 2026.
- John Malcolm, "Sanctuary Cities Forced To Comply With Federal Immigration Rules Due to Innovative Program," Heritage Foundation, 2026.
