Resident coalition tells Romulus council to block infrastructure changes tied to planned DHS detention site

Erin Siemens, a private citizen and volunteer with the Coalition to Shut the Camps, told the Romulus City Council on May 11 that residents have been protesting weekly at the warehouse located at 7525 Cogswell Street and urged the city to prevent any street or utility work that could be used to ready the site for detention operations.

"We've been protesting at the site every Saturday at 3 p.m. for the last 11 weeks," Siemens said. She said volunteers have observed what they believe are site-preparation activities, including utility markings and a contractor presence, and asked the mayor and council for "reassurance that the city will not allow planned street construction for Cogswell to be used by the federal government as an opportunity to make the infrastructure modifications that they will require."

Siemens also thanked the council "for your resolution against the planned detention facility and for signing on to the lawsuit Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed against the DHS," and asked the council to share any updates the city has about permitting, contractors, or street work near the warehouse. "We have been observing what looks like construction activity and preparations at the site," she said.

The council did not take immediate public action during the meeting based on Siemens's remarks. Siemens said she had copied photographs and a summary of her observations to Michigan's attorney general and requested that the city provide information about any permits or public-works activity in the area.

Next steps: Siemens asked for city assurances and updates; she said protesters will continue weekly demonstrations. The council did not announce any follow-up at the meeting.