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

On the morning before Thanksgiving, Mor Ba got into his car to go to work but was hemmed in by unmarked cars. Immigration officers poured out and asked for someone whose name he didn’t recognize. Ba doesn’t have a criminal record and wasn’t breaking any laws. He was just months away from his first big hearing in an asylum case he’s been waiting on for years.

As soon as he was allowed to use his phone, he started calling his aunt, Seydi Sarr, a Detroit-based immigrants’ rights advocate. She was in the middle of translation work, but answered the phone when Ba’s calls kept coming in.

“I picked up the phone and I’m like, ‘Boy, it’s not because you’re graduating early that you’re going to wake up in the morning and calling me 25,000 times, what’s up?” she recalled. “And he said, ‘Hey Auntie, I’m here at the ICE (office).’ And I’m like, ‘What you doing at ICE?’”

Ba came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor from Senegal. He doesn’t have any other family here besides his aunt.

He had just graduated a semester early from Western International High School, a Detroit school with a program for “newcomers” to the U.S. like himself. The 19-year-old was determined to attend college and had brought all of his application materials to Sarr’s house the night before. But she had been busy preparing to host Thanksgiving and told him to come back after the holiday.

By then, Ba was at the North Lake Processing Center, an immigration detention facility in the northwest corner of Michigan.

“The asylum process is supposed to protect you.”

Sarr, who founded an immigrant advocacy organization called African Bureau of Immigration and Social Affairs (ABISA), was shocked to learn that her own nephew had been detained. Not least because Ba is an asylum seeker and was finally a few months away from the master hearing that would lay out a timeline for an immigration court to decide whether he could stay in the U.S.

“The asylum [process] is supposed to protect you,” Sarr said. “Nothing is supposed to happen to you when you file for asylum until you lose your asylum.”

Immigration officers generally didn’t target asylum seekers as long as they engaged with the years-long process of court hearings, ICE check-ins, and abided by the law. That changed after President Donald Trump began a major deportation campaign.

Trump repeatedly told voters that he would carry out the “largest deportation effort in American history,” and that his efforts to do so are the fulfillment of that campaign promise. His administration has repeatedly described those who are arrested as criminals, although data shows that only a small minority have been convicted of criminal offenses.

Even with years of experience working on issues related to immigration, Sarr was at a loss when it came to getting her nephew out of North Lake, until she started making calls to advocates in other states. They told her to file for a writ of habeas corpus in federal court.

“I never heard of habeas being filed in immigration cases,” she said. “And they were like, ‘yeah, you have a little slither, but you can slit in here because we have been filing these habeas and getting our people out,’ because that’s the only way right now to go.”

These habeas corpus petitions have forced the government to explain why it’s detaining someone, or release them on bond.

Petitions from immigrant detention centers flood courts

Between Aug. 2025 and mid-Feb. 2026, over 800 claims of unlawful detention have been filed in Michigan’s two federal district courts. Prior to this spike, the last time any petitions were filed was in 2020.

The North Lake Processing Center, one of the country’s largest immigration detention centers, is the main source of habeas petitions in the Western District.

Michigan Public found a wave of more than 800 people in immigration detention in Michigan filed similar petitions over the last 5 months. Judges ruled in most cases that people were being held unlawfully without a hearing, in violation of their due process rights.

That’s what a judge ruled in Ba’s case.

“I don’t want people to go through what we went through.”

After two months in detention, an immigration judge granted Ba a $10,000 bond – an amount that Sarr raised through crowdfunding, since immigration cases require payments up front, in full.

In late January, she and a colleague made the four hour drive to the North Lake detention center to pick up her nephew. She shouted with joy when she saw him, and pulled him in close for a picture in the snow-strewn parking lot.

The time he spent in detention caused Ba to miss his chance to start college this semester, but he’s preparing to enroll soon.

For now, Ba is back to work and is trying to get his life back on track. The trauma of being locked up can make it hard to sleep.

“Sometimes,” he said, “I can’t sleep because I see a lot of friends over [in North Lake].”

Thinking of them troubles him because many are still there, and, according to Ba, “They were there for no reason.”

That’s how he feels about his own case; Ba spent months in detention, filed a federal lawsuit, and paid a steep bond only to end up in the same place he was before he was arrested, with the exact same date for the master hearing in his asylum case.

“Getting him home, it’s a good feeling,” Sarr, Ba’s aunt said. “[But] I don’t want people to go through what we went through to have that feeling.”

For her, the relief was short-lived. One week after she picked Ba up from North Lake, another young person she cares for – her cousin’s son – was arrested by ICE.

Sarr just paid a bond to get him out of North Lake, too.

Originally published on Michigan Public Radio.

Thousands rallied against the actions of President Donald Trump across Michigan on Saturday.

In Ferndale, about three thousand people lined Woodward Avenue near 9 Mile Road to express their displeasure.

Barb Anness of Rochester Hills believes the protests can bring about change.

“I’m very heartened by the diversity of people that I see out here, and I think Americans are at their best when we come together and we speak with one voice when something is wrong, and we call it out and we work for change in a positive way,” Anness said.

Anness says her objections to the cuurent administration fall outside of partisan politics.

“For me, it’s not a left or right issue, it’s a right or wrong issue. We have authority in government that are not adhering to norms and laws, and it needs to change, and this November, we have an opportunity to speak with our voice through our ballot in the ballot booth,” Anness said.

Anness came to Ferndale to protest with a friend – Holly Haran of Royal Oak. Haran isn’t happy with much of what’s coming from the federal government right now.

“There’s so much material that we can make signs for because there’s so many things that are being targeted,” Haran said. “Our voter rights, education, health care, there’s so many things that are being taken away. So and when they’re gone, it’s going to be really hard to get them back.”

A retired schoolteacher, Haran says she’s not happy with the tactics Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are using—especially near classrooms.

“It’s a really bad position to put educators in, because our job is to help kids,” Haran said.

Romulus protests proposed ICE facility

ICE was the primary topic of discussion in Romulus, where protesters gathered in front of a proposed detention facility on Cogswell Street.

Maxwell Pizzurro made the trip to the city from Chesterfield Township.

“I just think it’s really gross with these new camps that are opening up and how they’re just treating regular people,” Pizzurro said.

“What’s the difference between me and my family who came here [from Sicily] and a new family from Ghana? Or a new family from Portugal or Brazil? There’s no difference between us. We’re all just looking to make a good life for us and our families,” Pizzurro said.

Terry Golden Davis is an Army vet and grew up in Romulus. He says things have gotten so bad he turned up for his first-ever protest.  

“Somebody’s got to stand up to this hypocrisy. This is so sad. I spent hours making  signs. Hours,” Davis said.

“Nobody wants this. The should use it [the warehouse] for something, but not this,” Davis said.

Clad in a Harley Davidson jacket, lifelong Romulus resident Ken Cullen is concerned about the mistreatment of detainees.

“I mean, this is a warehouse. There’s no showers. There’s no bathrooms. There’s nothing,” Cullen said. “You can’t just house people in a warehouse, and expect them to live.”

Gerod Funderburg does not want the facility in his city. and he doesn’t believe President Trump that the detainees are hardened criminals either.

“They are people who are looking for better place to stay, better place to live, better opportunities for themselves—and he’s not providing it. If this is going to be a jail, we don’t want a jail around the corner from our homes,” Funderburg said.

Romulus City Council unanimously passed a resolution to denounce the ICE detention facility, and more recently filed a lawsuit alongside Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to stop its establishment.

Department of Homeland Security agents guarded the warehouse during Saturday’s protest, and approached U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib to redirect her when she tried parking in the driveway. 

Representative Dylan Wegela represents Romulus in the state house. He says abolition is the only way.

“We do not want this detention center here. We want, instead, to defund ICE. We want to abolish ICE, and we want to prosecute ICE.”

Many detainees have died while in ICE custody over the past year, and three American citizens have been killed by federal agents during President Trump’s push for mass deportations.

What people see as priorities

Wegela says President Trump is focused on the wrong things.

“He’s entered us into a war with Iran that is costing $2 billion a day,” Wegela said. “Instead of our money going towards bombing, say, a girl’s school in Iran, we would rather it be spent here to make sure that we are investing in our roads and our schools.”

Steve Conn of Detroit says if the people don’t speak out about injustice happening towards immigrants then the situation will get worse.

“We got to make sure people understand. If you don’t stand up now for immigrants, you too will be in there,” Conn said.

White House dismisses protests

Estimates place 9 million people in the streets for the ‘No Kings’ protests. The White House is dismissive.

“The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.

Ken Cullen is unmoved by that statement.

“Everything we hear is lies and propaganda. The truth is out here with all the people,” Cullen said. “They are showing we’re not that stupid.”

The Metro is closely watching the race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

The Republican side is settled. Former Congressman Mike Rogers, who lost to Elissa Slotkin by less than half a point in 2024, is running again. This time, he wants the seat Gary Peters is leaving behind.

The Democratic side is more complicated. Three serious candidates are competing for the nomination, and the distance between them tells you something about where the party is right now.

Congresswoman Haley Stevens has Chuck Schumer’s endorsement and millions in support from AIPAC. She is running on expanding the Affordable Care Act and working within existing institutions. State Senator Mallory McMorrow wants generational change inside the party — new leadership, new tactics — but within the current system. Physician Abdul El-Sayed is running to the left of both. He wants Medicare for All, the abolition of ICE, and says Democratic leadership has lost touch with its own voters.

They disagree on healthcare. They disagree on immigration enforcement. They disagree on Israel and Gaza, on whether billionaires should exist, and on who should be leading their own party.

WDET’s Russ McNamara sat down with all three — same questions, same mic — and the answers lay out a party in the middle of an argument with itself. The Metro listened back to that story, then Russ joined Robyn Vincent for some analysis about this moment.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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

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

More stories from The Metro

Editor’s note: Some images in this story contain language that may be offensive. 

Roughly one thousand protesters gathered outside Romulus City Hall this week to voice opposition towards plans for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center. Among the crowd were concerned residents, public officials, faith leaders, and Michiganders from across the state. 

Melody Karr was one of the many protestors picketing the building. She said she lives just an hour away from the detention facility that opened last year in Baldwin and has been to multiple demonstrations protesting it’s opening.

“We don’t need any more concentration camps in Michigan. Anybody that’s paying attention can see that we’re not concentrating on the worst of the worst, that they’re running rampant over our constitutional rights,” said Karr.

City officials say they oppose the detention center

The demonstration preceded the weekly City Council meeting, where a resolution opposing any detention center within city limits was unanimously passed. 

Following the vote, Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight said he and the city are doing everything they can to stop the development of an ICE detention facility. Citing his letter of opposition sent the previous week to ICE Director Todd Lyons and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, McCraight said a detention center would conflict with current zoning regulations and be too close to residential homes less than a quarter mile away.

McCraight said that, despite not hearing from any officials on the federal level since news broke, he would do what he could to prevent the plans from moving forward.

“While I’m sitting in this position as mayor, we will not issue a permit or certificate of occupancy for this structure unless we’re mandated by a federal judge,” said McCraight.

As the mayor spoke, demonstrators could be heard chanting outside the building. Only 49 of the protestors outside were let into the meeting due to safety codes set by the fire marshal. Those in attendance reiterated their opposition during public comment.

Residents urge more action

Dan Doyle lives less than a mile from the proposed detention center. He urged the city to do more to stop the plans.

“I’m requesting immediate action. Cut the utilities, condemn the building, demo it, take it under eminent domain, whatever you can do. Make it impossible for them to use our neighborhood for these concentration camps,” said Doyle. “This will not be solved by a harshly worded letter or a resolution. We need action.”

Outside in the bitter cold, protestors continued their picket at city hall. Darrin Camilleri, who represents Romulus as a member of the Michigan Senate, was one of many public officials who came to support demonstrators. So far, Camilleri has been one of the only state legislators to reach out to Romulus officials after the plans for a detention center went public. He said he has been working with the city to uncover details about the building purchased by ICE.

“We know that an auto supplier, they put a bid in to buy this building, but ICE came in and outbid the auto supplier. So the Trump administration is literally taking away American jobs from our community that would love an opportunity like that,” said Camilleri. “Now we’re getting stuck with a detention center that no one wants, and it’s down the street from where people live. It’s down the street from where kids go to school.”

The building, located at 7525 Cogswell Street, was previously owned by the real estate investment firm Crestlight Capital. John Coury, managing partner at the firm, said he can’t disclose the selling price or the specific agency the building was sold to due to a signed non-disclosure agreement, according to reporting from Crain’s Detroit Business.

Pattern of quiet-buying

Secrecy surrounding these purchases aren’t unique to Romulus, either. In Social Circle, Georgia, officials were blindsided when they heard of plans to convert a warehouse in the city into a detention center. The previous owner of the warehouse, a commercial real estate firm called PNK Group, said they signed an NDA and couldn’t disclose any information to the city or residents. One month later, a deed for the warehouse was obtained that showed the federal government paid over $100 million more than the most recently assessed price.

When asked by WDET if the Romulus warehouse was purchased for an inflated price compared to the 2025 assessed value of $6,988,500, Crestlight Capital did not respond for comment.

At the time of writing, the city of Romulus has not received any documents indicating how much the property was purchased for.

Southfield ICE offices

Earlier this month, the city released a statement saying offices in Southfield’s One Towne Square were to be leased by the US General Services Administration (GSA) to “support administrative and legal functions associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” 

The statement aligns with reporting from last year that showed the GSA was working with ICE to acquire offices across the country to expand it’s operations

Statements from REDICO, the landlord of the office space, said the lease was with the GSA, not ICE, and “the lease explicitly prohibits any law enforcement, detention or similar activities to take place on the premises.” REDICO’s statement prompted the city to remove their statement on the purchase from its website.

When asked about the city’s removed statement, Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver said he has only heard from REDICO, not GSA or ICE, and the city doesn’t have authority to intervene in tenant/landlord issues as long as they are compliant with zoning laws.

Still, residents and lawmakers are on edge amid the confusion. During the Southfield City Council meeting that took place the same time as the Romulus demonstration, residents packed the building to speak out against any potential presence of ICE in the city.

Southfield resident Lauren Fink said the city still needs to do more to address the offices potentially used in association with ICE.

“I’ve seen statements intended to calm our anxieties about this office opening here in our own community, telling us that this office cannot house armed and uniformed agents,” said Fink. “There seems to be this idea that the work being done by people in offices like this is acceptable, but the work being done by the people they enable is not. That kind of attitude is what allows the horrors of an authoritarian regime to continue.”

Southfield City Council unanimously passed a resolution “affirming community safety, civil rights, and local policy” during the meeting. The resolution does not mention the lease with GSA or the planned office.

A call for community action

Following the possible expansion of ICE in the metro Detroit area, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib released a statement condemning the encroachment and urging more collective action from the community.

“Across the country, people are coming together and fighting to prevent this massive expansion of ICE’s network of abuse and cruelty. We must organize and use every tool at our disposal to keep ICE out of our neighborhoods,” said Tlaib.

The Southfield office and planned detention center in Romulus come as the Trump administration massively increases the budget for ICE and plans on spending $38.3 billion to turn warehouses across the country into detention centers. Both actions have been made possible through last year’s passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has allocated billions of federal funds for the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.

What to expect as President Trump delivers the State of the Union address

Tonight, President Trump is scheduled to deliver his first State of the Union address since returning to the White House last year.

As the administration faces challenges on several fronts, including Iranian relations and tariffs, the speech is expected to outline the president’s agenda ahead of the midterm elections.

The address is set to begin around 9 p.m., though the exact length is unknown. Trump’s previous State of the Union lasted more than 90 minutes, making it the longest such address in the past 60 years.

While the Constitution requires the president to deliver a State of the Union “from time to time,” this year’s address comes at a pivotal moment for Republicans as they look to maintain control of both chambers of Congress in November. According to NPR, the party that holds the White House has typically lost about 27 House seats and four Senate seats in midterms since World War II. A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that six in 10 Americans believe the country is in a worse position than it was a year ago.

Watch live at 9 p.m. 

Immigration and enforcement under scrutiny

Immigration is expected to be a central focus. The Department of Homeland Security remains in a partial shutdown as Congress continues to debate funding, though enforcement operations have continued.

The Trump administration has said it aims to remove undocumented immigrants who have committed acts of violence. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about ICE tactics, particularly after agent involved shootings that killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good last month.

At least six additional detainees have died in ICE custody since the start of the year, according to The Guardian.

Tariffs, trade and the courts

Tariffs are also likely to feature prominently. The address comes after the Supreme Court reversed tariffs signed through executive orders. Following that decision, Trump announced plans to impose a 10 percent ad valorem tariff on most nations by invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, with exceptions for certain minerals, fertilizers and agricultural products.

According to NPR, a majority of Americans believe the tariffs could hurt the economy more than strengthen manufacturing. Trump has dismissed affordability concerns, calling them a “hoax” promoted by Democrats.

Foreign policy and rising tensions

Foreign policy is another expected topic, particularly U.S. relations with Iran. Trump has continued to pressure Iran to dismantle its nuclear weapons program and has not ruled out the potential use of force.

Human Rights Activists News Agency reports more than 6,800 protesters have been killed since December, while the United Nations has suggested the total could exceed 20,000, according to Al Jazeera.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said last week that global powers are attempting to pressure the country but vowed Iran would not “bow our heads,” according to Reuters.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine has warned that military strikes against Iran could draw the United States into a prolonged conflict, according to the BBC.

Democratic response

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to deliver the Democratic rebuttal, outlining her party’s priorities ahead of the midterms. Sen. Alex Padilla will also give a Spanish-language response.

Several Democratic lawmakers have said they plan to skip the address and instead attend a counter rally known as the “People’s State of the Union.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has encouraged Democrats to remain silent during the speech as a form of protest.

A Dearborn father, Abdelouahid Aouchiche was detained on Oct. 6 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside Masjid Al-Furqan in Detroit, on his way to the pre-dawn Fajr prayer with his son and others.

Aouchiche’s wife Lorenda Lewis says he sent his son inside the mosque, and instructed him to call his mother to pick him up. 

“When I went to pick Abdullah up, he was outside by himself, and he said he hadn’t seen his father. He doesn’t know where he is. And then I realized they were parked over to the side, and they let the window down so that the kids can see him for the last time,” she shares.

Aouchiche was taken to the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, which houses over 1,400 people.

Lewis says it’s been a struggle to visit the facility, due to frequently changing policies, visitation times, and the 4 hour drive. She says the policies discourage you from visiting.

“It will alternate one hour for one week and three hours for the following week. So you will have to get up four o’clock in the morning to be there on time, because if you got there by a certain time… you were not allowed to visit,” she explains. 

Concerns of mistreatment at the facility 

In December, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), who is a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, visited the facility, noting its dire conditions.

Tlaib’s office says they received multiple reports, “including frigid temperatures, inadequate food, unsanitary facilities, difficulties accessing attorneys and loved ones, translation and communication issues, and problems obtaining medical care.”

After the visitation, Tlaib released a statement in which she says,  “I am fighting for the freedom and dignity of every immigrant, asylum seeker, and refugee who calls our country home.” 

A family separated

Aouchiche and Lewis share four children, between the ages of 6 and 12. 

Lewis says the current policies do not allow more than four visitors total in a day. With the kids being minors, they were not all able to go back to see their father together.

“But because there’s only four people, and they’re under 18, they could not go back there alone. So I was the only one that can go back there,” she says. 

Lewis says she is concerned about the conditions at the facility.

“They don’t have blankets. They have like a sweater type, something that they sleep with… the heat is horrible and it’s wintertime, but they don’t even have a blanket to sleep with,” she shares. 

Lack of religious accommodations 

Lewis says her husband was not receiving halal food in the beginning—only eating peanut butter, rice, and noodles. Since then, halal food has been provided, she says.

She says she’s also concerned for Muslims who observe fasting and worship during the month of Ramadan, which began Tuesday night. 

“Only in this one pod where he is there are over 300 Muslims… he said they have 12 prayer rugs and no Qurans,” she says. 

She says she’s also concerned whether people will be able to eat a pre-dawn meal to begin fasting, and the meal at sunset to break fast.

“Are they going to accommodate the Muslims getting up four or five o’clock in the morning so that they can eat breakfast at that time and then having suhur, and then having iftar when it’s time to break fast? With the way that they’re doing things, I’m not really sure,” she shares.

Community steps up to support the family 

Lewis says her husband’s detention has put a huge strain on her family.

“Something like this happened all of a sudden, with uncertainty, has taken a lot on my family, the children are having their father around. He paid most of the bills, so now I have to make sure that I work double time and put in extra hours so that I can pay the bills that he was paying,” she says. 

She may have to get a second job to provide for her family, something Lewis says will be difficult in her line of work as a doula.

Community members have put together a GoFundMe to help the family get on their feet. Lewis says she’s grateful people are stepping up to help, but she’s concerned about the funds running out. 

Lewis is also concerned about the mistreatment of others held at the North Lake Detention Facility in Baldwin. She says some people have no one to visit. Lewis says there are efforts to organize bilingual or multilingual volunteers to visit through a team at the Islamic Center of East Lansing by emailing info@lansingislam.com. 

Lewis says she’s leaning on her faith to get her through this time, during the spiritual month of Ramadan and prayer. 

She says there needs to be policy changes in the facility. 

“Their policies need to change, the visitation needs to change… we are not criminals. The detainees there are not criminals, and we’re being treated and our families are being treated like criminals and that needs to stop,” she says. 

Since conducting this interview late last week, Abdelouahid Aouchiche was transferred to Louisiana over the weekend and has since been moved to Texas.

Communities across Michigan are asking how, exactly, local law enforcement is working with federal immigration agents as the Trump administration steps up aggressive enforcement, including the killing of two Americans in Minneapolis. In Detroit, that question is playing out on the pages of two police personnel files. 

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison vowed to fire two officers who broke department rules by calling U.S. Border Patrol during traffic stops, handing people over to federal immigration agents. Then he dropped the terminations.

In one stop, an officer called Border Patrol, believing the person was undocumented. In the other, a sergeant called for help communicating with a driver who didn’t speak English, though the department runs a 24-hour translation hotline.

DPD policy — stemming from a 2007 anti-profiling ordinance and a 2020 internal directive — bars officers from contacting Border Patrol, ICE, or any federal agency for translation or immigration enforcement. 

Outlier Media’s public records requests turned up at least two more incidents the chief did not disclose.

Ahead of the Board of Police Commissioners’ vote on the suspensions, The Metro’s Robyn Vincent spoke with Noah Kincade, who runs the Documenters program at Outlier Media. 

The Detroit Documenters helped surface these cases at police commission meetings. 

ICE and CBP did not respond to WDET’s requests for comment about this story.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Editor’s Note: After this interview aired, the Board of Police Commissioners voted 10–0 to suspend both officers without pay for 30 days. Bettison, who said he would terminate them, backed off the next morning. His reversal comes after one officer sued in federal court, claiming her lieutenant ordered the call, and Michigan Republican House Speaker Matt Hall threatened to review Detroit’s state funding in response to the case.

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

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

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.  

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Across Michigan, city leaders and police chiefs are asking  the same question: how should they work with federal immigration officers?

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been active across southeast Michigan, including in Livonia, Ypsilanti, Detroit, and other cities. ICE detention centers have been proposed in Highland Park and Romulus. We already know some of the outcomes.

In Michigan, from January to October of last year, ICE arrested over 2,300 people and detained almost the same amount, according to the Deportation Data Project. That number has nearly tripled since last year. 

Some city council members in Michigan have called for limitations on ICE and have supported state bills aimed at that exactly. But many Michigan mayors have remained silent on the issue. 

That’s not the case for Michael Taylor. He’s the mayor of Sterling Heights, where nearly 28% of residents are immigrants. He’s recently made headlines for wanting his city’s police department to separate itself from federal agents. 

He spoke with Robyn Vincent about what kinds of ICE policies he thinks Michigan cities should have.

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