Five Michigan members of Congress just sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding he permanently cancel a plan to convert a Romulus warehouse into a 500-bed immigration detention center. They gave him 30 days to respond. Now it's time for the public to say the same thing.

The plan — which was reportedly paused in April while the federal government reviewed contracts — has never been officially cancelled. And with Congress just signing a $70 billion immigration enforcement bill into law, the pressure to use that money is real. Romulus is still on the table.

Michigan already knows what happens when ICE detention expands without oversight. North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin — a 1,400-bed ICE facility — has faced documented reports of medical neglect, a hunger strike, and emergency 911 calls from inside its walls. Michigan lawmakers cited those conditions directly in their June 11 letter to Secretary Mullin, writing: "The local community has been clear that they do not want what is happening in Baldwin to be replicated in other parts of our state."

They're right. And they need backup.

The city of Romulus and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel have already filed a federal lawsuit to stop this. Faith leaders, immigrant advocates, and elected officials from across the state have spoken out. The warehouse is zoned for manufacturing, sits next to wetlands, and was purchased for $34 million without a public appraisal. There is no good reason to move forward — and every reason to make the cancellation permanent.

Secretary Mullin has 30 days to respond to Congress. Sign this petition to make sure he hears from the public too: cancel the Romulus ICE detention facility for good.