Romulus and Michigan Officials Sue to Block ICE Detention Center

The City of Romulus and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from converting an industrial warehouse at 7525 Cogswell Street into a 500-bed Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. The legal challenge alleges the federal government violated federal law by bypassing mandatory environmental reviews and failing to notify local officials before proceeding with the project.

On April 25, 2026, several hundred protesters marched from Romulus Middle School to the warehouse site to oppose the facility. The demonstration drew support from Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, U.S. Representative Shri Thanedar, and U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib. The event was disrupted by pro-ICE counter-protesters, which led to verbal and minor physical altercations between the opposing groups.

In response to the proposal, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib introduced the Ban Warehouse Detention Act, which seeks to prohibit the conversion of industrial warehouses into detention facilities nationwide. During the rally, participants also highlighted a concurrent hunger strike by detainees at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan. Those detainees are demanding improved food, medical care, and case reviews, with the advocacy group No Detention Centers in Michigan amplifying these demands.