GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — The Grand Rapids Police Department finished their internal investigation after an officer turned over Jilmar Ramos-Gomez, a 27-year-old U.S. citizen and veteran, to ICE at the end of 2017.
Ramos-Gomez's detainment met significant backlash, and lead to the Kent County Sheriff's Office changing their detention process. The American Civil Liberties Union pushed for GRPD to conduct an internal investigation.
GRPD arrested Ramos-Gomez on Nov. 21 after he set a fire and was found on the helipad of Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.
Grand Rapids Police said they contacted federal authorities due to the nature of the offense, which they said provided a risk to federal airspace. Ramos-Gomez's mother went to pick him up from Kent County Jail on Dec. 14, only to learn he had been turned over to immigration authorities.
Ramos-Gomez spent three days in immigration detention before authorities reviewed his personal documents. In a written statement, ICE agents said Ramos-Gomez described himself as an undocumented immigrant during interviews at the jail.
Ramos-Gomez's family says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and is receiving treatment at a mental health facility.
GRPD's statement regarding their internal investigation said that an officer reached out to ICE following his arrest based on Ramos-Gomez's actions, which "met the criteria of a potential act of terrorism." The officer is GRPD's ICE liaison.
The police department emphasized that their actions were focused on keeping the community safe and they said contacting ICE is not a normal part of their investigative process.
The internal investigation did find that the officer used "unprofessional language in his interactions with ICE." Interim Police Chief David Kiddle said he addressed this issue with the officer.
GRPD said they shared their findings with the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
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