Romulus, MI → A large warehouse near Detroit Metro Airport is set to be converted into an ICE detention facility, confirming months of speculation about federal plans in Southeast Michigan.
According to Michigan State Senator Darrin Camilleri, the building on Cogswell Street in Romulus — a roughly 300,000-square-foot warehouse — will be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security as part of a broader push to expand detention capacity and speed up deportation operations.
Photos taken Friday showed Department of Homeland Security paperwork posted on the doors, labeling the site as federal property and reinforcing reports that the facility is moving forward.
The development comes after earlier reports suggested federal officials were eyeing warehouse space in the Romulus area for a potential detention site. While full details about capacity and timeline have not been publicly released, the confirmation marks a major step toward establishing a new immigration enforcement presence near the airport.
Democratic leaders in Southeast Michigan quickly criticized the plan.
“Let’s call this ICE facility what it really is — an ill-constructed jail that would enable ICE to further terrorize our immigrant communities across Southeast Michigan,” Camilleri said in a statement. “It’s critical that at this moment we stand united and send a clear message to this administration; this detention center is not welcome in Romulus or anywhere across our state.”
He said he has been working with local, state, and federal leaders since reports first surfaced and intends to continue pushing back against the project.
“I’ve been working with local, state, and federal leaders since reporting on this first began, and we will be using every tool available to keep this facility from coming into our neighborhoods,” Camilleri said. “Make no mistake, ICE is not creating this detention center to keep our communities safe. This facility will undermine the work of our local law enforcement, ship in masked agents, and foment chaos throughout our region.”
The senator also pointed to broader concerns about federal immigration policy and detention conditions.
“For the last year, we’ve read report after report detailing the awful conditions that those held in ICE custody are subjected to everyday,” he said. “We find ourselves at this crossroads where we must decide if we’ll permit the immigration policies of Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, or stand up and prevent the chaos that has already impacted the lives of so many across our state and our nation.”
“We cannot allow what happened in Minnesota to replay on our streets,” Camilleri added.
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib also issued a statement opposing the expansion, pointing to what she described as a growing federal presence in Southeast Michigan.
“ICE has no place in Michigan. This is an unaccountable and violent agency that terrorizes and brutalizes our communities every day,” Tlaib said.
She also referenced a separate office lease in Southfield tied to immigration operations.
“ICE is now attempting to expand its presence in Southeast Michigan, with a new office building lease in Southfield to intensify operations and a new warehouse jail in Romulus to cage hundreds of our neighbors in unsafe conditions,” she said.
“Across the country, people are coming together and fighting to prevent this massive expansion. We must organize and use every tool at our disposal to keep ICE out of our neighborhoods.”
City officials have said the Southfield location will support administrative and legal functions connected to immigration operations, while the Romulus site is expected to be used for detention purposes.
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