As a Bloomberg News report identifies Romulus as a potential site for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, some local elected officials are vowing to fight the proposal.
The Bloomberg report did not identify the location in Romulus for the proposed 500-bed facility.
“My administration takes this issue very seriously and is opposed to any such operation being located within the city of Romulus. We are currently examining all legal options available to protect Romulus as well our residents,” Mayor Robert McCraight said in a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
His statement did not refer to the Bloomberg report; it said unsubstantiated rumors have circulated on social media about a potential ICE facility in the city.
State Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) whose District 4 includes Romulus, said in a release Tuesday that reports indicate a Romulus warehouse could be converted into a detention center.
“Since these reports have begun to circulate, I’ve stayed in conversation with the city of Romulus, our members of Congress, and other elected leaders about the possibility of an ICE detention facility coming to our community. I want to emphasize that based on my conversations, there is no concrete evidence at this time of any facility in Romulus being used or developed into a detainment center.
“But let me be clear, 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 inhumane and criminal behavior of this agency should not be allowed to continue to inflict terror on immigrants, let alone doing so in our community.”
Despite objections in communities across the country, the Trump administration is pushing ahead with the purchase of warehouses it plans to convert into immigration jails, the Bloomberg report said.
The report identifies 23 potential sites; Romulus is the only one in Michigan.
McCraight said city officials are in contact with federal and state representatives “who have been extremely cooperative and helpful in addressing this issue.”
Less than a week ago, state Rep. Dylan Wegela, whose district includes part of Romulus, said in a statement he introduced a ban on state property being sold to ICE or becoming ICE detention centers.
Wegela (D-Garden City) said in the release that 2025 tied for the deadliest year on record for deaths in ICE detention centers; 32 people died in ICE custody.
“Some might say there’s not much we can do here in Michigan, or at the state level, to fight against this administration. That’s wrong. We can fight against ICE right here at home,” he said in the release.
“We’re seeing targeted killings against those peacefully resisting ICE in their assault on Minneapolis, like the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
“We continue to get horrific news of how those same agents treat people out of the public eye. One of the first deaths in custody this year was Geraldo Lunas Campos. ICE deemed it a suicide. The El Paso County (Texas) Medical Examiner’s Office revealed the truth: it was a homicide. Lunas Campos died due to compression on his neck and torso.”
House Bill 5494 would ban the state from conveying property to ICE and would implement a deed restriction on all property conveyed by the state, banning it from being used as a detention center.
Romulus officials are refuting reports circulating on social media that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center could locate in the city.
“We have investigated the sites that have been reported as ‘possible’ detention centers and have found nothing that would substantiate the current rumors,” Mayor Robert McCraight said in a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 4.
“My administration takes this issue very seriously and is opposed to any such operation being located within the city of Romulus. We are currently examining all legal options available to protect Romulus as well our residents,” he said.
His statement did not identify the rumored locations for an ICE detention facility.
McCraight said city officials are in contact with federal and state representatives “who have been extremely cooperative and helpful in addressing this issue.”
Less than a week ago, state Rep. Dylan Wegela, whose district includes part of Romulus, said in a statement he introduced a ban on state property being sold to ICE or becoming ICE detention centers.
“Some might say there’s not much we can do here in Michigan, or at the state level, to fight against this administration. That’s wrong. We can fight against ICE right here at home,” he said in the release.
“We’re seeing targeted killings against those peacefully resisting ICE in their assault on Minneapolis, like the shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
“We continue to get horrific news of how those same agents treat people out of the public eye. One of the first deaths in custody this year was Geraldo Lunas Campos. ICE deemed it a suicide. The El Paso County (Texas) Medical Examiner’s Office revealed the truth: it was a homicide. Lunas Campos died due to compression on his neck and torso.”
House Bill 5494 would ban the state from conveying property to ICE and would implement a deed restriction on all property conveyed by the state, banning it from being used as a detention center.
Rep proposes ban on state property being used for ICE detention centers
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