On March 24, 2026, the state of Michigan and the City of Romulus filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to halt their plan to convert a warehouse into a large-scale immigration detention facility.  

In February, and without notice to the state, to the city, or to the general public, ICE purchased a commercial warehouse 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. Attorney General Nessel 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. Michigan officials asked the court to block the administration’s efforts to convert the warehouse into an immigration detention center and prevent it from operating as such.  

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. 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.Attorney General Dana Nessel