"US Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to be shifting its strategy as it faces environmental review headwinds in its campaign to buy and convert warehouses into detention centers across the country.
The Department of Homeland Security is now conducting National Environmental Policy Act reviews for two proposed facilities in New Jersey and Maryland, marking a policy shift after the agency initially exempted the projects from the months-long study process.
On Wednesday, a federal judge in Michigan will hold a status conference in the state’s lawsuit over a proposed facility in Romulus, signaling another potential agreement to conduct a NEPA review may have been reached following the cancellation of a preliminary injunction hearing earlier in the week.
Michigan’s lawsuit says the warehouse is located in a floodplain and has only one sewer line that can’t handle the needs of the planned 500 detainees and staff."
Taylor Mills reports for Bloomberg Environment May 20, 2026.
