Romulus warehouse ICE bought in February will not become detention center, Michigan AG says
Plans to convert a Romulus, Michigan, warehouse into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center have slowed after Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the agency abandoned the project following a lawsuit.
Nessel said her office and the city of Romulus filed suit in March against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security, 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.
The building is also located about 6 miles from the Detroit Metro Airport.
Nessel said the case will remain active until there is a written agreement stating that ICE and DHS would never use the building on Cogswell Street as a 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 in a statement Thursday. "The ICE warehouse proposal was every bit as ill-conceived as it was cruel and unnecessary and I am relieved that this chapter is coming to a close."
ICE purchased the building in February, saying that the project was expected to bring 1,458 jobs in the area and nearly $150 million in economic activity. However, the proposal drew outrage from residents and lawmakers, and the Romulus City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing the development.
In a statement, DHS said the agency "has remained singularly focused on removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from the United States and is always evaluating the best methods to do so," adding that it is "moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners."
CBS News Detroit reached out to ICE and is awaiting a response.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she applauds the "efforts of Attorney General Nessel, Romulus Mayor McCraight, and our state and federal lawmakers for putting a stop to this facility and ensuring Michiganders have a say in what happens in their own backyards."
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist said, "The people of Romulus made it clear that an ICE detention facility was not welcomed. I am thankful to Attorney General Nessel for her work in stopping this detention center from being built. Let's keep standing tall for the rights and voices of all Michiganders."
