ICE purchases facility in Romulus, agency spokesperson says
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has purchased a facility in Romulus, Michigan, a spokesperson for the federal agency told CBS News Detroit on Sunday afternoon.
In a written statement, the spokesperson detailed the purchase, saying, "These will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards."
CBS News Detroit has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, in which ICE is a sub-agency, for clarification on how many detention facilities will be in Romulus.
The Romulus ICE facility and its construction, according to the federal agency, are expected to bring 1,458 jobs to the area and just under $150 million in economic activity.
"It's also projected to bring in more than $33 million in tax revenue," the spokesperson said.
The federal agency said sites "undergo community impact studies" to make sure "there is no hardship on local utilities or infrastructure" before it makes a purchase.
The statement comes less than two days after Romulus Mayor Robert A. McCraight said DHS secured a building at 7525 Cogswell St., about 6 miles northwest of Detroit Metro Airport. CBS News Detroit has reached out to federal officials to confirm whether it was the facility that ICE purchased.
McCraight in a Facebook post on Friday night said he was telling lawmakers "at all levels" that a detention center is not permitted and will be opposed by the city.
"We are also working with legal counsel to determine what authority we have in this matter," McCraight said.
Homeowners near the 7000 block of Cogswell Street said they don't want a facility in the area.
"Unnerving, unsettling," a nearby resident said when asked how they feel about their community's safety knowing the facility could be down the street. "Because it was already one thing that they were taking people from their homes. Now they got something literally next door."
State Rep. Dylan Wegela, D-Garden City, said on Friday that he drove by a building that the federal agency plans to use in Romulus that was marked with "U.S. Government Property - No Trespassing" signs.
"Shame on the federal government for planning in secret and coming to our community without notifying anyone at the Congressional, state, or local level," Wegela said in a Facebook post.
Officials in Southfield, Michigan, said on Wednesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will use office space at Oakland Towne Square. The space, according to the city, will be used to support administrative and legal functions on behalf of ICE.
Southfield officials were informed that ICE officers will not operate out of the complex near the Lodge Freeway and Interstate 696.
