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LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that the State of Michigan and the City of Romulus filed a lawsuit (PDF) against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) challenging its plan to convert a Romulus warehouse into a mass immigration detention facility. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, seeks to declare unlawful, vacate, and set aside the agencies’ decision and requests that the Court permanently enjoin the conversion, construction, retrofitting, or operation of the commercial warehouse as an ICE detention center.
“As the state's Attorney General, I have a legal and moral obligation to act if and when this administration behaves unlawfully and does so in a way that harms Michigan residents,” said Attorney General Nessel. “The Romulus Warehouse is simply not—and never will be—an appropriate place for a large-scale detention center. DHS in its zealous quest for a bigger nationwide footprint, appears to have conducted an ill-conceived rush job, free from any traditional planning considerations or even basic concern for the many Romulus residents who will be impacted by their actions.”
“Two words I hate to use when describing my home city are ‘overburdened and underserved’. Unfortunately, we are exactly that. We are not asking for a handout, just the chance to grow and improve the quality of life for our residents, unburdened by outside interference,” said City of Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight. “This is why any type of detention center must be vetted through all required permitting and legal channels.”
“The people of Romulus have had unwanted infrastructure imposed on them before - last time it was a hazardous waste injection well, now it’s an ICE detention center. This proposed facility will drain police resources, hamper economic development, and bring chaos into our community,” said state Senator Darrin Camilleri. “I applaud AG Nessel for her efforts to fight back against this unwanted project.”
“ICE has lost in court more than 4,400 times since October for wrongfully jailing people. Last year in ICE detention, we saw record deaths,” said state Representative Dylan Wegela. “This year alone at least 13 people have died in ICE custody. It comes as no surprise that for an agency with a track record of terrible conditions for their facilities, ICE would choose a terrible spot for a new detention center like the Cogswell facility in Romulus. I represent the part of Romulus where this proposed facility is, and no one wants it. It’s a disaster in the making.”
In February, and without notice to the State, to the City, or to the general public, ICE purchased a commercial warehouse, located at 7525 Cogswell Street in Romulus, intending to convert it into a mass detention center that houses hundreds of detainees. The complaint alleges that the warehouse is not an appropriate place of detention because it is located within a mile of an elementary school and a middle school, it abuts residential neighborhoods, it lies within a floodplain that has experienced flooding as recently as last year, and it lacks the adequate infrastructure to support 500 detainees and staff—including the number of bathrooms and sewer system.
Attorney General Nessel and the City of Romulus argue that DHS and ICE violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to adequately consider alternative facilities like existing prisons, jails, or detention centers. She also contends that the agencies failed to comply with environmental requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act and did not cooperate with state and local officials.
Attorney General Nessel previously submitted a Freedom of Information Act request and comment letter to ICE and DHS asking for transparency regarding ICE's plans to convert a Romulus warehouse into a mass immigration detention facility, but received no reply.
Attorney General Nessel announced the lawsuit today at a press conference alongside Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight and state Representative Dylan Wegela.
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