Michigan Senators Urge Homeland Security Secretary to Halt ICE Detention Center Plan
In a recent development, Michigan’s U.S. senators, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, have called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reconsider the establishment of an ICE detention center in southeast Michigan.
The senators expressed their concerns in a letter to Secretary Noem, emphasizing the need to pause the conversion of a Romulus commercial warehouse near the Detroit Metro airport into a detention facility. They highlighted that the decision was made without consulting Romulus city officials, who have expressed unanimous opposition to the project.
Peters and Slotkin raised questions about the suitability of the warehouse for housing individuals, citing worries about the safety of detainees and staff members. They pointed out that ICE’s existing facilities have struggled to provide adequate conditions, heightening their apprehensions about the proposed site.
While ICE has stated that new detention centers undergo thorough community impact studies and due diligence processes, the senators called for more transparency regarding these assessments for the Romulus location.
The letter concluded with a request for Secretary Noem to justify the site selection, disclose any environmental or economic impact analyses conducted, outline the planned capacity and staffing levels for the facility, and provide documentation of local stakeholder engagement by March 11, 2026.
As of now, the Department of Homeland Security has not issued a response to the senators’ letter, leaving the fate of the proposed ICE detention center in southeast Michigan uncertain.
