Michigan’s U.S. senators have told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem she should reverse course on a planned ICE detention center in southeast Michigan.
Democrats Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin sent Noem a letter this week, demanding that she halt plans to make a Romulus commercial warehouse near the Detroit Metro airport into an ICE detention center. Both senators said the plan was made without notifying Romulus city officials, who are unanimously opposed to the idea. They also question whether the building can safely hold detainees.
“This warehouse facility is not zoned for or developed to house individuals. We are concerned about the safety of detainees and employees, especially at a time when ICE is struggling to provide adequate conditions at its existing facilities,” Peters and Slotkin wrote.
ICE has told multiple media outlets that new detention sites “will undergo community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process.” But Peters and Slotkin say the agency needs to provide more detailed information about what that looks like for the Romulus site.
The letter ends with the senators calling on Noem to “provide a justification for selecting the site, explain if any environmental or economic impact analysis was conducted, and detail the planned capacity and staffing levels for this facility, as well as documentation of any local stakeholder engagement no later than March 11, 2026."
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.
