United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security have abandoned plans to convert a Romulus warehouse into a large immigration detention center, according to a Thursday press release from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. The decision comes following a lawsuit filed by Nessel alongside the City of Romulus against the proposed conversion.
DHS purchased the warehouse for $34.7 million — 57% more than the property’s previous sale price — in February without notifying the state, city or public.
The warehouse was one of 23 sites identified as part of the Trump administration’s goal to expand detainee capacity nationwide. The FY 2026 budget provides for a $501M increase in detention capacity spending. The increase supports the Trump administration’s plan to operate 1,000,000 removals per year and 100,000 detention beds. ICE is now planning to sell many of these sites, including the one in Romulus.
The lawsuit — filed March 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan — deems the site unsuitable for a detention center, highlighting the warehouse’s location. The warehouse is within a mile of schools, lies adjacent to residential neighborhoods and sits in a floodplain which experienced flooding as recently as last year.
The lawsuit also argues both ICE and DHS violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to conduct an environmental review and not considering existing detention facilities as alternatives. It also argues DHS failed to coordinate with state and local officials before the purchase.
Nessel filed for a preliminary injunction one week after initiating litigation, aiming to halt any construction until the case was resolved. The agencies did not appear at the preliminary injunction hearing, and instead pushed back the intended construction date.
In a video published to Youtube Thursday, Nessel said her office will continue legally challenging the Trump administration with the hopes of protecting Michiganders.
“DHS and ICE have officially folded,” Nessel said. “This marks the 41st win over 56 total cases against this administration by my office. Following the lawsuit filed by my department alongside the city of Romulus, the federal government is now abandoning its plans and is putting the warehouse up for sale. Today’s decision to sell the facility is not just a victory for the residents of Romulus, whose day to day life would have been upended by its presence, but it’s a victory for the entire metropolitan Detroit region.”
In a post to X Thursday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer addressed the detention center, praising Nessel’s efforts to halt the project. This is the first time Whitmer has publicly addressed the detention center.
“I commend the efforts of Attorney General Nessel, Romulus Mayor McCraight, and our state and federal lawmakers for putting a stop to this facility,” Whitmer wrote.
Daily Staff Reporter Jonah Feldman can be reached at jonahfel@umich.edu.
