WOODTV8 not only takes ICE at their word, they do nothing to find out how ICE terrorism impacts immigrants in West Michigan

On Friday, WOODTV8 ran a 1 minute and 8 seconds story regarding the possibility that ICE might be targeting high school students across the country and in the Grand Rapids area.

The story is framed poorly, since they disproportionately relying on a Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson. Early on in the WOODTV8 story that newsreader says:

Asked by News 8 if there is an active operation focusing on undocumented children, an ICE representative said the department offers a voluntary option for those kids to go back to their home country and receive financial support. The agency claims the children were dangerously smuggled into the country by cartels.

A basic principle of journalism would have been to verify the ICE claim that children were smuggled into the country by cartels. This was not the case, which means channel 8 took ICE at their word.

The story then shifts to provide some commentary from a Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) spokesperson who was quoted as saying:

“Our advice for individuals and families (is to) remember the basic rights. Those aren’t changing, even in these more pressured circumstances. That’s the right to consult with an attorney before signing any document, the right to choose whether to sign a document, nobody can make that choice for someone else.”  “

In contrast, ICE spokesperson Emily Covington was quoted as saying:

“These allegations are categorically false. The anti-ICE activists have made up a ridiculous term, ‘Freaky Friday,’ to instill fear and spread misinformation that drives the increased violence occurring against federal law enforcement. Cartels trafficked countless unaccompanied children into the United States during the Biden Administration, and DHS and HHS have been working diligently to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those children.”

The MIRC spokesperson provides legal advice, but the ICE spokesperson again makes several claims that are not verified, plus they refer to anyone who is critical of ICE as “anti-ICE activists.” In addition, for the ICE spokesperson to make the claim that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services are working to “ensure the safety and wellbeing of those children,” is simply absurd.

This story by WOODTV8 not only failed to verify claims made by ICE, it demonstrated that they view ICE as a necessary institution within the federal government. Like Most commercial news agencies, ICE, like any other law enforcement agencies are viewed as important for the safety and security of society. In the last two GRIID news studies, one from 2024 and the other from 2025, I demonstrated how overtly pro-police the four major daily news sources are in the Grand Rapids market.

It is also important to note that WOODTV8 did not talk directly to immigrant communities about what MIRC was saying regarding ICE and unaccompanied minors in this community. Channel 8 also did not talk to groups like Movimiento Cosecha, which had conducted patrols on Friday in case ICE was going to target high school age immigrant students.

In the end, WOODTV8 did a very short and poorly reported story on ICE activity in Grand Rapids, despite the fact that groups like Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE are aware of dozens of ICE arrests in recent months that has exponentially increased fear and panic in the various immigrant communities in the Grand Rapids area. In fact, WOODTV8 has done very few stories about ICE arrests of immigrants, but they have a whole page devoted to ArtPrize stories, which demonstrates what receives priority from the NBC affiliate.