ROMULUS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center at a warehouse in Romulus will not move forward.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Thursday that the federal government will not convert the Romulus warehouse into a detention center for illegal immigrants. Instead, it plans to sell the facility.

“The federal government thought they could slink into Romulus, unlawfully bypass state and local authorities, and construct a massive immigration detention center right in the backyard of 25,000 residents,” Nessel said in a video response. “I remain undeterred in my pledge to protect the people of this great state from unlawful federal actions and unnecessary harms, even when perpetrated by our own government.”

It marks a rare victory for Nessel in her more than 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration since the president took office in January 2025.

ICE purchased the warehouse in February, and Nessel filed a lawsuit in March. As Michigan News Source reported at the time, the lawsuit turned frequent Democratic Party talking points on their head: that illegal immigrants are not a threat to the community, yet the proposed facility was deemed too close to neighborhoods and schools.

Additionally, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that the proposed ICE detention center was widely opposed by local communities.

“I commend the efforts of Attorney General Nessel, Romulus Mayor McCraight, and our state and federal lawmakers for putting a stop to this facility and ensuring Michiganders have a say in what happens in their own backyards,” Whitmer said.