ABOUT CHRISTINE SAUVE:
Christine Sauvé, LMSW leads policy advocacy, community engagement, and communications strategies for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, working to ensure immigrant Michiganders experience equity, justice, and belonging. Christine partners with immigrant communities across the state to share stories and advance policy change at the state and local levels.
Christine also serves as Co-Chair for the Detroit City Council’s Immigration Task Force and previously served as Director for the Welcoming Michigan project.
A former White House Champion of Change, Christine served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mauritania and Senegal, is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, and received her MSW and B.A. from the University of Michigan.
RESOURCES:
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC)
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and we don't need to tell you--federal immigration policy has impacted a great number of people around the country and right here in our community. I'm David Fair, and welcome to the first Washtenaw United conversation of 2026. Washtenaw United--it's our weekly exploration of equity and opportunity in our community. And I can tell you there are a good number of people who feel opportunity is being taken away. Our first guest of the New Year has been working these issues in an up-close and personal way. Christine Sauve is policy engagement and communications manager at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. And thank you for making time for us today! And Happy New Year, Christine!
Christine Sauve: Happy New Year! Thanks for having me!
David Fair: In the first 11 months of the second Trump presidency, more than 1.6 million immigrants have lost their legal status in the United States. NPR reported that's a number larger than the entire population of Philadelphia. Could you have imagined that, in this day and age, that this is where we would find ourselves?
Christine Sauve: You know, after the results of the 2024 election were clear, we knew that 2025 would be hard. I would say, even though we knew it would be challenging, experiencing those challenges and seeing families affected is another matter. So, again, expecting some of the policies that have happened still doesn't minimize the hurt and the suffering.
David Fair: For those unfamiliar with the work of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, would you give us a brief synopsis of the services your organization provides?
Christine Sauve: Yeah. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center is a legal resource center for low-income immigrants across the state. We provide immigration legal services for free, and we serve unaccompanied children in federal custody, as well as those released. We serve farm workers, people applying for asylum or naturalization. We also serve folks who are in detention or facing deportation.
David Fair: And that has become more difficult to do. Funding is at a premium. The number of people who are requiring assistance has gone up. How has federal government cutting resources impacted your ability to help as many as you can?
Christine Sauve: Yes. So, we have seen some very serious funding cuts at the same time that the need for services has just skyrocketed. So, MIRC was affected by some of the Trump Administration's efforts to eliminate funding for long-standing, legal orientation programs. For example, we ran a help desk in Detroit's immigration court. That program was ended. The administration did attempt to end funding for unaccompanied children's legal services. Our country had historically said, "We should provide lawyers for children to face their cases in court." Thankfully, due to litigation, most of that funding has been restored, but the future looks shaky. And this has caused great instability for organizations like ours. At the same time, our call volume is way up. We've received over 5,000 calls the past year. Our calls from detention are up threefold. And people are calling us for good reason, because having a lawyer really makes a difference in immigration court. 62% of people with a lawyer were deported, compared to only 27% of those who had a lawyer. So, it makes a big difference.
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU's Washtenaw United, and we're talking with Christine Sauve from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. With all of the increased immigration and customs enforcement operations taking place here in Washtenaw County, around the state and around the country, are you finding that more immigrants are refusing to show up for court?
Christine Sauve: You know, that's an interesting question that has been in the news recently. Historically, the data has shown that the majority of people show up for their appointments. And that's even more so true if you have legal counsel. So, between 96 and 98% of children and families with legal counsel show up their court appointments. So, looking at some of the recent numbers just over this past year, there has been an increase in some of those rulings without someone there. And I think that's, in large part, due to the increase in immigration enforcement that we're seeing at the court. So, specifically, ICE is targeting and arresting and detaining people at their court appointments. But I can say for our clients, the vast majority of our clients, do show up for their appointments again because they know that's the only way that they can actually achieve the outcome that they're seeking in their case.
David Fair: I was going to say. Do the repercussions become worse should they miss those court dates?
Christine Sauve: Yes. And we're seeing that play out because if you miss your court hearing, the ruling will be made against you for removal. And that opens up more people who are then targeted for ICE detention and removal. We've seen an increase in the detainment of individuals with pending application, so some of our clients who have a pending application for asylum, even some of our child clients who had pending applications and were really just waiting for their green card. And so, the detention centers are almost at capacity, and it really pushes people to the brink. People are being detained for longer periods, and it puts a strain physically, mentally, spiritually. And that, sadly, is pushing some people to choose to self-deport or what's known as voluntary departure.
David Fair: You know, this used to be a country that prided itself on being so welcoming. Inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, there's a plaque with the Emma Lazarus poem called "The New Colossus". It contains the following words: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free." And that had become a part of the American identity. It offered promise that the American Dream was not only real, but accessible. How would you assess the state of the American Dream in 2026?
Christine Sauve: I'd say it's in tatters. You know, so many individuals have placed their faith in our immigration system only to see the rules changed midway. So many lawful programs that people have been participating in waiting for their final outcome in court, those programs were ended. And their status is now tenuous, and they can be arrested and detained. So, I think of that quote often myself because my great-grandfather came here as, what would today be called, an unaccompanied child. And I don't think he would be welcomed in the same way that he was at that period and able to start a life here. And that's what just so many people who are coming recently have wanted was a chance at opportunity or better opportunities for their kids. And I have been the beneficiary of that. And I truly believe that it's still at the core of what has made this country great and part of our American values.
David Fair: Well, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of potentially even harsher immigration policy and enforcement. So, how is the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center shaping up to deal with that reality?
Christine Sauve: We are doing the best we can with the resources that we have. There are 31,000 cases pending in immigration court, and only about a third of those individuals have a lawyer. So, people need attorneys, and our nonprofit immigration legal system is under-resourced. So many of our partners have been very kindly holding community fundraisers to raise more resources to provide attorneys for those who need them. Because, in immigration court, you're not provided an attorney if you can't afford one, unlike in the criminal court process. So, we're also just trying to share information with the community, so that people are aware of their rights and can be better informed. But the real difficulties that we're seeing are, again, stemming from the massive numbers of people who are now detained, and that's creating, essentially, a second child separation crisis. Because as more parents are detained, their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens, are suffering at home separated from their parents.
David Fair: You know, you're pointing it out with your answer there, but we tend to have these kinds of conversations in a very political context: who's on what side and why and how many are affected. But we're talking about people, families, and community. And too many voices are being silenced out of fear. How do we, as a community at whole, help address those fears and move us forward instead of regressing?
Christine Sauve: You know, it really takes discussion, and I know many people have just maybe had some of those conversations over the holidays with their loved ones, but people have different access to different information these days. So, helping get the word out about what's really happening in their communities can help the conversation. You know, what's so striking working so close to this issue and having the vantage point we do is that, most Americans, what they say they want in the immigration system, this administration is doing the exact opposite. So, most Americans say they wants fairness. And it's not really fair to arrest and detain people who have been playing by the rules. Most people say they want order, but instead we're seeing lawlessness--agents without identification, misuse of force. And then, most people say that they want affordability. They want a cost of living to be addressed. And instead, we're spending billions on detention and enforcement. So, I think if we go back to our core values, we can have some of these conversations and maybe look at some real policy changes.
David Fair: We will have opportunity to have many more conversations over the course of the next year. I appreciate your time today and look forward to our next conversation, hopefully with a little more optimism.
Christine Sauve: Thank you so much! Appreciate it!
David Fair: That is Christine Sauve. She is policy engagement and communications manager at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and our first guest of 2026 on Washtenaw United. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti.
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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