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Residents urge Romulus to block proposed DHS detention site, cite contamination and infrastructure risks
Summary
Three residents and community organizers told the council the Cogswell Street site proposed for a DHS detention center has a brownfield history, needs full contamination review and cannot open without local infrastructure approvals; they urged legal clarity and public hearings.
Three members of the public urged the Romulus City Council on May 26 to use every lawful authority to prevent a proposed Department of Homeland Security detention facility at the Cogswell Street site from opening.
Melody Simmons, identifying herself as chair of the coalition who has been filing litigation, warned that a stipulation in federal court could let DHS perform its own environmental review while ‘‘security-only’’ work such as cameras, fencing, fiber and limited build-out proceeds. ‘‘No agency should deem the site suitable for detention or human occupation without full contamination disclosure,’’ Simmons said, arguing the site’s environmental record must be reviewed with public involvement before it is treated as suitable for human detention.
Shannon Juarez told the council the lawsuit ‘‘buys time’’ but will not by itself stop the facility unless local and regional infrastructure approvals are withheld. ‘‘If we stop — if we do not provide this infrastructure — then these camps cannot open,’’ Juarez said, identifying approvals for water, sewer, drainage, electricity, gas and road access as decisive and urging pressure on agencies such as the Great Lakes Water Authority, Wayne County sewer and public service authorities and DTE.
Yvonne Lasalle said the initial application listed 500 detainees but that DHS has asserted it can be ‘‘up to 2,000,’’ and warned that increased population would raise sewage, water and public-safety concerns. She urged the council to seek legal guidance from the state attorney general and civil-rights groups and to hold public hearings so residents and agency representatives can explain the implications for nearby schools and neighborhoods.
Council members thanked speakers and noted the request will be taken into consideration; the council did not take formal policy action during the meeting but agreed to place some items on unfinished business for follow-up. Speakers requested public hearings and agency briefings before infrastructure work proceeds.
