DHS to sell Romulus warehouse, back off detention center plans

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency intend to sell a warehouse in Romulus, Michigan, as it will not be converted into a federal detention center. 

That information was presented on Monday to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. 

According to the notice, a July 1 hearing in the relevant lawsuit filed by the State of Michigan and the City of Romulus against the federal agencies has also been canceled. Officials involved in the lawsuit agreed to hold further discussions regarding the litigation and will provide the court with an update by July 17. 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had said last week that the federal agency was abandoning the project. The newly filed court document confirms that announcement. 

The property in question is a warehouse building at 7525 Cogswell Street, about six miles from Detroit Metro Airport. 

The plans became known early this year, with local residents and local lawmakers among those protesting the project. ICE confirmed in February that it purchased a building in Romulus, with the renovation and use plans expected to bring 1,458 jobs to the area and just under $150 million in economic activity. 

The State of Michigan and City of Romulus then filed their suit in March, arguing that Romulus was not an "appropriate place of detention for numerous reasons." The lawsuit cited the facility's proximity to elementary and middle schools and residential neighborhoods.  

"Romulus simply was not – and never would be – the appropriate place for a large-scale detention center. The decision to sell the facility is a victory not just for the residents of Romulus, whose day-to-day life would have been negatively impacted by its presence, but for the entire metro region," Nessel said.

The above video originally aired on June 18, 2026.