Romulus mayor opposes ICE warehouse jail proposal mentioned in report

• Elected officials in Wayne County voiced opposition to a possible ICE detention center in Romulus.
• The officials said they were unable to confirm a report that an ICE detention center may open in Romulus.

The mayor of Romulus and other elected officials oppose the construction of a potential detention center housing immigrant inmates for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the city.

According to a Jan. 29 report by Bloomberg, ICE is considering a 500-bed jail in Romulus to warehouse the growing number of immigrant detainees as the U.S. ramps up arrests and deportations. Romulus is one of 23 cities across the U.S. being considered by ICE for a jail site, the report said. The report did not have additional details about the proposed Romulus jail, such as where in the city it would be located. Elected officials who represent Romulus said this week they were not able to confirm there will be a center or jail.

Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight released a statement voicing his opposition to any ICE warehouse in Romulus.

"My administration takes this issue very seriously and is opposed to any such operation being located within the City of Romulus," McCraight said in the Feb. 4 statement. "We are currently examining all legal options available to protect Romulus as well our residents."

ICE has been increasing the number of flights out of Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus and from nearby Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, which would make the potential jail in Romulus a convenient place to hold detainees being moved around. Immigrant detainees are often moved around after they are arrested.

ICE did not return a message from the Free Press seeking confirmation of the Bloomberg report or details about the proposal.

The proposed Romulus site is also being opposed by other elected officials who represent Romulus, including U.S. House Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, and state Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, who released statements.

"I do not support an ICE detention center in Romulus, and I am working with local officials and the community to resist any expansion of ICE detention facilities," said Thanedar, who introduced the Abolish ICE bill in January.

Thanedar, who is the House ranking member of the subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability for Homeland Security, added in his Feb. 6 statement to the Free Press that “ICE is out of control, and I have been outspoken ... of the harm they bring to our communities."

Thanedar said "detainees are humans, not packages."

Camilleri said "there is no concrete evidence at this time of any facility in Romulus being used or developed into a detainment center." The state senator added that "Romulus and our surrounding communities do not want to see our neighbors detained and held unlawfully, whether it be in my district or anywhere else, and we will fight back with every tool at our disposal to stop it."

The issue of ICE warehouse centers also has come up recently in Highland Park after a Dec. 24 report by the Washington Post said the city was being considered for a 500- to 1,500-bed center to house immigrant detainees. Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald and state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, have voiced opposition to that proposal.

In a Facebook post on Feb. 1, Chang said "there are no current plans for any ICE detention center in Highland Park, MI, despite the Washington Post article in December. I've been in close communication with Mayor McDonald about local policy change she and her team are working on to ensure no ICE detention center comes to the city."

McCraight said Romulus officials "will continue to monitor the situation closely and will advise accordingly should we discover any additional intent to house such an operation within our community."

Contact Niraj Warikoo: [email protected]