Immigrant advocacy groups condemned Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan Wednesday for calling illegal immigrants "illegal," or what they called "the i–word." 

Liberal activist groups and public figures have called for illegal immigrants to not be described as such, instead wanting them to be referred to as "undocumented" or "unauthorized" immigrants.

As some localities plan to resist the Trump administration’s efforts to remove criminal illegal immigrants, Duggan has said that Detroit is not a sanctuary city and would not shield those who are here illegally.

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"ICE has a list of who they're looking for who are illegal immigrants, who have committed crimes," Duggan, a former Democrat turned Independent, said last week. "And when one of the people we've arrested comes up, they will contact us. And if we have them in custody at the Detroit detention center, we will turn them over to ICE."

According to The Detroit News, nine Michigan organizations that work with immigrants denounced the mayor for "describing undocumented immigrants as ‘illegal.’"

"The Mayor’s use of the I-word is inappropriate, dehumanizing, and an insult to Detroit’s longstanding immigrant communities," the organizations wrote in a press release viewed by the local news outlet.

Duggan reportedly shrugged off the criticism as mere "political correctness" in an email, according to the Detroit News.

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"[W]hen Detroit police make a criminal arrest and DPD gets federal notification that the person in custody is in the country illegally, we should not and do not shield you from federal enforcement," he said. 

"Groups who oppose this position are criticizing me today over the political correctness of my statements, but I do not apologize for providing a clear explanation of Detroit’s position. It is a position we have followed consistently through the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations," Duggan added.

A Detroit police officer heading home from work was killed in a hit-and-run crash on the city’s east side on Sunday, according to authorities.

FOX 2 in Detroit reported that Officer Cameron Richardson had been with the department for just over a year, and police described him as a family man with two daughters, as well as a veteran of the military.

"Today, the Detroit Police Department lost Officer Cameron Richardson, who served one year with the Department," the department wrote in a post on X. "Officer Richardson was killed in a car accident while off-duty."

Interim Chief Todd Bettison told reporters the city had lost "one of Detroit’s finest."

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"He was a good officer, a fine officer who served with distinction," Bettison said, adding that Richardson will not be forgotten. "We’re going to wrap our arms totally around this family."

The police said Richardson was driving home from work as he traveled northbound on Hoover Street at Greiner Street.

Witnesses told investigators a white van turned left onto Hoover Street, turning directly in front of the Jeep Wrangler Richardson was driving.

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When officers arrived on the scene just after midnight, they found Richardson's Jeep had rolled over in the crash.

But the other vehicle had left the scene.

Bettison thanked the Michigan State Police during the presser, saying they were able to locate the white van a short distance away from the accident.

All occupants inside the van were detained, police said, and a 28-year-old man has been identified as a person of interest. But that person has not yet been located.

The Detroit Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for more information.

"We have worked tirelessly since the incident occurred. We've executed search warrants," Bettison said. "We have identified individuals who were in that white van. We know who the driver is. We are asking the driver to turn themselves in."