ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined state leaders and Romulus city leaders for a joint press conference Tuesday to announce a lawsuit over the proposed ICE detention facility in Romulus.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
Watch Ryan Marshall's video report
The lawsuit comes a month after federal immigration officials purchased the vacant warehouse in Romulus with plans to convert it into a detention facility.
Watch the full press conference in the video below
Romulus Mayor Robert A. McCraight said during the announcement that the city has had no official communication from the feds about the proposed facility.
"Any use proposed for this type of detention center will not be permitted because it would be in direct violation of our zoning ordinances," McCraight said. “Romulus is not engaging in a debate over immigration, whether the policies adopted are right or wrong. We are merely stating that there are processes that must be followed that were clearly avoided here.”
On Monday evening, Romulus City Council unanimously approved to join the lawsuit with Nessel.
The lawsuit defendants are the state of Michigan and the city of Romulus. Defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Todd Lyons, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The lawsuit claims there were multiple things that were overlooked when DHS purchased the building, including the fact that the facility, which would be the size of a small prison, is steps from a neighborhood and only about a mile from a local elementary and middle school. Also the facility would sit in a floodplain, without enough proper plumbing to house 500 detainees.
“It’s clear that DHS, in its zealous quest for a bigger, nationwide footprint, appears to have conducted an ill conceived rush job free from any of the traditional planning considerations or even basic concerns for the many Romulus residents who will be impacted by their actions," Nessel said Tuesday.
The facility would be housed in the former Gage Marketing Group headquarters. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the project will create nearly 1,500 jobs and contribute $160 million to the GDP, while generating roughly $33 million in tax revenue.
Watch below: ICE facility plan in Romulus sparks concern as officials tout economic impact
However, the plan has drawn fierce opposition from some residents and elected officials who worry about the facility's effects on their neighborhood.
A week after the announcement, leaders in Romulus passed a resolution opposing the proposed ICE facility, with citizens showing up to the meeting and voicing their opposition.
“You can’t come in and just move in and do what you please without the proper protocols," resident Chuck Hamby said, who lives just steps from the facility.
Watch below: Protesters and counter-protesters clash over Romulus ICE detention facility plan
The lawsuit is the latest across the country over proposed ICE facilities in the U.S.
Just last week, a federal judge in Maryland extended an order that blocked work on a warehouse that ICE plans to turn into an immigrant detention center, according to Maryland Matters.
Maryland has sued to block the detention center, and U.S. District Court Judge Brendan Hurson extended the temporary restraining order.
You can read the full lawsuit by the state of Michigan below:
Romulus Complaint ICE DHS by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit
Chairman of the Michigan GOP, Senator Jim Runestad says the proximity of the facility shouldn't be an issue, and grew up next to a detention facility himself.
"When I lived in Detroit, the Ryan Correctional Center, I could see it from my house. So it's not like you can put these all up in the U.P., you have to have them in population centers," Sen. Runestad said. "I think the quicker that we can get criminal aliens off the streets, the better it is for everyone."
7 News Detroit reached out to DHS and ICE for comment Tuesday, but have not yet heard back.
