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DOJ Formalizes Intent to Sell Romulus Warehouse with Court

LANSING – Late yesterday, a Joint Status Update was filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, formalizing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency’s decision to abandon its plans to convert the Romulus warehouse into an immigration detention center and instead sell the facility. In the Report, jointly signed by attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Michigan Department of Attorney General, and the City of Romulus, the parties agreed to adjourn the scheduled July 1st conference and committed to file a status update on or before July 17th.

Attorney General Nessel issued the following video and statement in last week’s announcement on the proposed agreement. The video is free and available for public use for broadcast.

“Romulus simply was not – and never would be – the appropriate place for a large-scale detention center. The decision to sell the facility is a victory not just for the residents of Romulus whose day-to-day life would have been negatively impacted by its presence, but for the entire metro region. The ICE warehouse proposal was every bit as ill-conceived as it was cruel and unnecessary, and I am relieved that this chapter is coming to a close. “I am grateful to the City of Romulus and the attorneys within my office whose hard work kept this abomination from landing in a resilient and determined community. 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.”

A copy of the court filing is available here (PDF}.

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