ICE plans Romulus detention center in historic floodplain, feds say - Detroit Free Press

A proposed ICE detention facility in Romulus, Michigan, would be built within a historical floodplain.

The Department of Homeland Security plans to proceed, stating the project will not increase flood risk.

The public comment period for the project's potential floodplain impacts was set to end on Feb. 27.

A proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Romulus would be built within historical floodplains, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security acknowledged in a notice on its website. Yet the department still plans to proceed with the ICE facility at 7525 Cogswell St. in the city — and its deadline for the public to comment on potential floodplain impacts ends Friday, Feb. 27.

The Homeland Security notice is required under Executive Order 11988. Signed in May 1977, the order mandates that federal agencies avoid, to the extent possible, the long- and short-term adverse impacts associated with the occupancy and modification of floodplains. It requires agencies to avoid direct or indirect support of floodplain development whenever a practicable alternative exists.

But ICE, in its notice, cited the project's limited scope and said the absence of stormwater or grading changes and the elevations of finished floors in the building to state the detention center project "would not affect floodplain hydrology or increase flood risk on or off the site," and declared "ICE has determined that the facility can be safely occupied and operated within the mapped floodplain."

The floodplain notice provides more details about what ICE proposes in Romulus. It states that ICE plans to retrofit the existing warehouse on Cogswell Street to use as a detention processing center. Some 19 acres of the 27.2-acre property would serve as the facility's operational area and would be enclosed by 3,800 linear feet of new perimeter security fencing. A modular security checkpoint structure of approximately 150 square feet would be built, along with "five exterior recreation courts on existing asphalt surfaces, exterior lighting and security cameras, replacement of the existing emergency generator on a new concrete pad, installation of new telecommunications cabling within existing corridors or previously disturbed areas, and sanitary sewer connections or modifications if required by final engineering review."

The project would result in only minor changes to the building's exterior design, the notice states. "No site improvements are expected to be taller than the expected structure or expand beyond current site boundaries. All work would occur within previously developed and disturbed areas."

Preliminary engineering indicates "limited upgrades" to the existing sanitary sewer connection at the building "may be required to accommodate projected wastewater flows," the Homeland Security notice states.

To meet the executive order's requirement to consider alternatives to construction in a historic floodplain, ICE stated that it evaluated a "first-choice option" for the immigration detention facility at 17991 Wahrman Road in Detroit, but that it "became unavailable as the property assessment commenced."

"As a result, 7525 Cogswell Street, Romulus, Michigan, advanced as the most viable remaining option and is carried forward as the Preferred Alternative," the Homeland Security notice states. "At the time of the decision, no other existing facilities outside the mapped floodplain were available that could meet ICE's operational, security, infrastructure and schedule requirements without substantial new construction, relocation outside the Area of Responsibility, or greater environmental disturbance," the agency stated.

Homeland Security stated there are three primary purposes for its floodplain construction notice.

"First, people who may be affected by activities in floodplains, as well as those interested in protecting the natural environment, should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and provide information about these areas. Second, an adequate public notice program can be an important public educational tool. The dissemination of information about floodplains can facilitate and enhance Federal efforts to reduce the risks associated with the occupancy and modification of these special areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal government determines it will participate in actions taking place in floodplains, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk."

The department allowed public comments on the project by email to [email protected] only through Friday, Feb. 27. It's unclear when the notice first appeared on the Homeland Security website.

The proposed Romulus ICE detention facility has been met with fierce local opposition, with the city council passing a unanimous resolution opposing any such facility in the city; state and county elected representatives to the region disapproving of the project, and hundreds of protesters demonstrating against the planned facility on Feb. 23.

Kat Parker is a Wayne County resident opposed to the ICE detention facility in Romulus.

"Converting this warehouse into a detention facility in such a high-risk area presents significant hazards," she said. "The location of a high-occupancy facility in a designated flood hazard zone conflicts with local safety and land-use standards intended to protect life and property. Housing individuals in a floodway and 100-year floodplain places both detainees and staff at unnecessary risk during extreme weather events. The proposed modifications, including new security fencing and concrete pads, will increase impervious surfaces, potentially exacerbating floodwater conveyance and storage issues for the surrounding Romulus community."