Anti-ICE rally in Lansing demands Whitmer ‘Fight Like Hell’ against Romulus detention center

In response to ICE buying a warehouse in Romulus with the intention to turn it into a detention facility, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been quiet — and a coalition of community and immigrant rights activists, faith leaders and environmental justice advocates are demanding she speak up and act to stop the detention center’s development. 

Members of the Coalition to Shut the Camps gathered in Lansing at the Michigan State Capitol on Thursday to demand that Whitmer “fight like hell” — invoking the name of her PAC, launched in 2023. 

“Governor, you named your own PAC ‘Fight Like Hell’,” said Melody Simmons, chair of the Coalition to Shut the Camps. “So, when there is an actual fight, where are you? DHS bought a warehouse in Romulus, and we don’t know where our governor is.”

Simmons, as well as Alex Rodriguez, the co-chair of Workers Against Oppression, emphasized actions that other governors have taken to prevent ICE development in their states. In Pennsylvania, for example, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Department of Environmental Protection issued administrative orders barring occupation of two planned detention centers until DHS demonstrates compliance with federal and state environmental regulations. And in Maryland, a federal court granted a preliminary injunction halting construction of a proposed ICE detention facility, a move that Gov. Wes Moore actively supported. 

In Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined the city of Romulus in filing a federal lawsuit to halt the detention center — but Whitmer herself has not made any public statements on that lawsuit or other action against the detention facility, which has drawn significant public outcry. 

“Here’s the thing the governor does not want to say out loud,” Simmons said. “This is completely within her power, and she knows it. Governor Whitmer, you can help shut down this detention camp. You can help stand with your own attorney general, who is already in federal court suing DHS. You can pick up the tools at the executive branch that you swore an oath to use, and instead, crickets.”

Whitmer’s office declined to comment on the demands of the protesters or any intended executive actions against the detention center. 

@michiganadvance The @Coalition to Shut the Camps ♬ original sound – Michigan Advance

“Gretchen, you were elected to fight like hell. Where is that fight now? You were elected to protect the people. You were elected saying that you would fight for your constituents, yet when the time comes to wrap up your fists and raise them in solidarity against the actions of Donald Trump, Markwayne Mullen and Kristi Noem, you do nothing,” Rodriguez added. 

He went on to say that if Whitmer chooses to run for higher office — she is term-limited for the governor’s office, but has been often floated as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028 or beyond — her actions, or lack thereof, against ICE in Michigan could dictate the support she would receive from her own constituents. 

“We are tired of you hiding, and how the hell do you expect to get elected to even higher office when you can’t act for your community?” he said. “If you want us to support you in any way, shape, or form going forward, act now.”

The detention center in Romulus, though the focus of the concerns raised by protesters, was not the only action against ICE that speakers called on Whitmer to take — they also urged her to take action against local police cooperation with ICE, as well as concerns about poor conditions at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, a facility privately owned by GEO Group and contracted as an ICE detention center. 

Emily Duthinh, co-founder of CAFE, an Oakland County immigrant rights organization, cited the December 2025 death of Nenko Gantchev at the Baldwin facility, as a failure of Whitmer to act on a state level. The lawmakers leading the charge for answers around his death have been U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids), who visited the facility in February.

“Many other governors, when there is a death in the detention center at the hands of ICE, they are investigating this under state law,” Duthinh said. “It is a violation of state law to deprive somebody of medical care, emergency medical care to the point where they pass away. What is Governor Whitmer doing about this violation of state law? Why is she not investigating this like many other governors are? Please stand up, fight back, partner with us, partner with your attorney general, and let’s work together to keep Michiganders free from this secret police force and preserve all of our freedoms.”

Frustration and anger was evident as the dozens gathered at the Capitol chanted, including calls of “Where’s Whitmer?” and “Shame.”

“Fight like hell for your people, instead of Sam Altman’s data centers. Fight like hell for your people, rather than hiding your face in front of Trump. Fight like hell for your people who got you elected in the first place,” Rodriguez said. “This is our home, and she is ignoring it as there is a threat to it. Are you tired of acting in a shameful manner, where people from across the state have to come out to shame you?”