A group of elected officials, faith leaders, and immigrant rights advocates called for an end to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s expansion into Michigan communities in a news conference Thursday.
Some called for defunding or abolishing the agency.
Michigan U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI 6) said she voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE. She said ICE has overstepped its authority, and meaningful change must be made, including equipping ICE with mandatory body cameras, requiring judicial warrants to guarantee due process, and eliminating racial profiling.
The Democratic congresswoman said the country needs to be focused on helping people afford their groceries, not funding an agency that she said is “brutalizing and killing American citizens.”
Dingell said immigrants are central to the country’s economy. “They're present in childcare, transportation, hospitality and manufacturing sectors that keep communities functioning every single day,” Dingell said. “And they're not replacing American workers. They're working alongside of them, filling critical gaps.”
“National security and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive,” Dingell said. “Funding Homeland Security should go hand in hand with ensuring agencies follow the law, respect civil rights, and use taxpayer dollars responsibly.”
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI 12), said ICE is attempting “unprecedented expansion” into Michigan communities, including the city of Romulus. This week, ICE confirmed the purchase of a detention center in the city.
“This warehouse in Romulus that was slated for hundreds of permanent automotive jobs, that's what was supposed to be there,” Tlaib said. “They are now turning it into a prison to cage hundreds of our immigrant neighbors.”
Ashley Perry, the co-founder of the non-profit organization Indivisible Downriver United 734, said placing a detention center in Romulus has real consequences for the city. “It changes the character of the community,” she said. “Families bought homes here expecting stability, safety, and investment and growth, not a concentration camp, aka detention center, operating in their backyard.”
ICE said the detention center will meet its “regular detention standards” and bring thousands of jobs to the area. ICE and some Michigan Republicans said they’re focused on removing criminals from the streets and making communities safer for business owners and customers.
Another ICE facility in Baldwin, Michigan is operated by the for-profit GEO Group. The company reported $254 million in profits last year, a 700% increase from 2024.
State Representative Dylan Wegela (D-Garden City) said ICE is getting record funding. The agency’s budget has skyrocketed from less than $6 billion 10 years ago to $85 billion under the Trump Administration. It’s now the highest-funded U.S. law enforcement agency.
“I don't want our hard-earned money going to detention centers that are known for their inhumane conditions, detention centers that had a record number of deaths last year,” Wegela said.
ICE describes its mission as securing the nation’s borders and "safeguarding the integrity" of the country’s immigration system. The agency says immigration enforcement is a “critical component of the overall safety, security, and well-being of our nation.”
