The State of Michigan and the City of Romulus have sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop them from converting a warehouse into an ICE detention center.

This week on MichMash, Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben talks with Attorney General Dana Nessel to discuss her concerns about the department’s actions and much more.

Subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode

• Why did the State of Michigan and the City of Romulus sue the U.S. Department of Homeland Security?
• Attorney General Nessel’s take on Pres. Trump attending Supreme Court hearing on birthright citizenship.
• Data centers in Michigan
• What Attorney Nessel plans to do after leaving office this term. 

Nessel felt that the legality of the Romulus warehouse purchase was in question, and even pointed out the irony of the DHS operation.

“They are taking people who mostly have no criminal records of any kinds and [saying] that these people didn’t come into the state properly so we are going to detain you or deport. Well, DHS didn’t come in to Romulus properly. They are not abiding by the laws. So I think it’s a bit of hypocrisy by the federal government.” 

Nessel said they filed a preliminary injunction so that DHS could not proceed with the project while the legal battle evolves. 

More from WDET:

• Detroit Evening Report: Michigan and city of Romulus file lawsuit to halt ICE detention center

• The Metro: Data centers, coming to a community near you

Right now, across the country, communities are facing growing pressure from the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to the American Immigration Council, six people died in ICE custody in January of this year alone, in Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and California, raising concerns and fears about what could happen next.

So how are people responding? How are communities making their voices heard? For some, the answer is public art.

Outdoor exhibitions have long had the power to democratize art. Displaying the works outdoors brings it out of galleries and into public spaces. It allows any and everyone to engage in shared cultural experiences and meaningful community connection.

A new installation called “ICEBREAKER”, created by multidisciplinary artist Rogerio Pinto, honors the lives lost to ICE and in detention centers.

He joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to talk more about the exhibition and the impact ICE has had on communities.

“ICEBREAKER” will remain on display at the corner of Harbrooke Avenue and Arbana Drive in Ann Arbor through April 19.

Names honored in the exhibit

Listed below are names featured in the exhibition.

Names of Lives Lost to DHS Enforcement

• Genry Ruiz Guillén
•  Serawit Gezahegn Dejene
•  Maksym Chernyak
• Juan Alexis Tineo-Martinez
• Brayan Garzón-Rayo
• Nhon Ngoc Nguyen
• Marie Ange Blaise
• Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado
• Jesus Molina-Veya
• Johnny Noviello
• Isidro Pérez
• Jaime Alanis
• Tien Xuan Phan
• Chaofeng Ge
• Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez
• Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas
• Oscar Rascon Duarte
• Silverio Villegas González
• Santos Banegas Reyes
• Ismael Ayala Uribe
• Norlan Guzman-Fuentes
• Miguel Ángel García Medina- (shot by a sniper)
• Huabing Xie
• Leo Cruz-Silva
• Hasan Ali Moh’D Saleh
• Josué Castro Rivera
• Gabriel Garcia Aviles
• Kai Yin Wong
• Francisco Gaspar-Andrés
• Pete Sumalo Montejo
• Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani
• Isaias Sanchez Barboza
• Jean Wilson Brutus
• Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir
• Delvin Francisco Rodriguez
• Nenko Stanev Gantchev
• Keith Porter
• Ray Ruben Martinez (not included on Fences)

2026

• Geraldo Lunas Campos
• Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres
• Luis Beltrán Yáñez-
• Renee Nicole Good
• Parady La
• Víctor Manuel Díaz-
• Heber Sánchez Domínguez-
• Alex Pretti
• Lorth Sim
• Nurul Amin Shah Alam
• Emmanuel Damas
• Alberto Gutierrez Reyes
• Daphy Michel 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

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More stories from The Metro

The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the end of Temporary Protected Status for Yemen. The designation was first granted to Yemeni nationals in September 2015 due to war in the country. TPS designation was renewed several times between 2017 and 2024.

Noem says the conditions in the country have improved, no longer warranting TPS. She says the designation was meant to be temporary.   

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about 1,400 Yemeni nationals had TPS status as of last year.  

Secretary Noem says TPS beneficiaries who have exhausted their lawful basis for staying in the U.S. have 60 days to self-deport—that’s April 14. People are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app to report their departure for self-deportation, which includes a complimentary plane ticket and a $2,600 dollar bonus, which Noem says leaves the possibility of legal opportunities for future immigration. Those who do not leave may be arrested and deported and cannot return to the U.S.  

TPS recipients can seek out legal residency through asylum or work visas. 

Additional headlines from Monday, Feb. 16, 2026

Detroit police officers suspended 

Two Detroit police officers have been suspended for coordinating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Detroit Free Press reports that led to two people being possibly deported.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison requested the officers’ pay be suspended. Previously, Bettison told Detroit City Council members the police department does not do immigration enforcement.

On Feb. 9, a Detroit sergeant called Border Patrol when an officer requested translation services for a non-English speaker during a traffic stop, prompting an investigation by CBP who then took the person into custody. Another incident occurred in December, when an officer called Border Patrol while investigating a felony warrant.

The Board of Police Commissioners will decide this week whether to suspend the officers’ pay. Bettinson says officers have been discouraged from working with Customs and Border unless a detainer is issued and signed by a judge.  

US Immigration Customs Enforcement purchases Romulus facility

A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CBS News Detroit on Sunday the federal agency has purchased a facility in Romulus.  

The facility is expected to bring nearly 1,500 jobs to the area, just under $150 million in economic activity and more than $33 million in tax revenue. 

Last week, Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight said in a Facebook post that the Department of Homeland Security secured a building about 6 miles northwest of Detroit Metro Airport. 

McCraight said that the detention center would be opposed by the city at all levels and he is working with legal counsel to determine what authority the city has to stop it. 

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley  

College Fair

The Williams Recreation Center is hosting a college fair next week. It will feature admissions and scholarship information, financial aid guidance and student and alumni engagement. Light refreshments will be provided, and it’s free and open to the public.

Call 313-628-2039 or email taylor.small@detroitmi.gov for more info. The college fair takes place on Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.