Southfield — The congresswoman who represents Southfield is calling on the owner of office space in the city to end cooperation with the federal government following reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would operate out of the space.
The city announced Feb. 11 that the U.S. General Services Administration has leased space owned by REDICO at One Towne Square, east of Michigan 10 and south of Interstate 696. The office space will be used to support ICE’s administrative and legal services, according to the city.
At a protest outside the office space Tuesday morning, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, claimed the office will be used to intensify ICE’s operations in southeast Michigan. She said REDICO should not enter into a contract with the government agency.
Tlaib and other speakers at the rally, including state Sen. Jeremy Moss and Rabbi Nate DeGroot, argued ICE’s field operations don’t take place without offices like the one at One Towne Square. Moss called the office “the infrastructure and the systems behind the whole cruel and unjust ICE operation.”
“The deportation machine depends on an unassuming office building like this one,” Tlaib said of the space.
Tlaib added that she toured an immigration office space in the region and found cots for detainees.
In a prepared statement Tuesday, REDICO said the terms of the lease “explicitly prohibit any law enforcement, detention, or similar activities from occurring at the property.”
“Should the terms of the lease be violated, REDICO is prepared to fully enforce the agreement,” the statement reads.
ICE’s mass deportation efforts are a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s second term. The Trump administration has argued mass deportation efforts are popular with Americans, while critics say it’s leading to the deportation of people who should stay in the country.
ICE has been under intense scrutiny following a weekslong surge in Minneapolis in which immigration agents killed two demonstrators.
At the protest, Tlaib said it’s not a coincidence that Homeland Security has secured a building in Romulus around the same time REDICO signed the lease with the federal government. Tlaib claims the facility will be used for ICE detention.
Tlaib also encouraged the demonstrators present Tuesday to keep protesting ICE’s use of the office space going forward.
“Don’t think that we’re not going to continue to show up and protest in front of your building,” Tlaib said. “And unfortunately, a lot of your tenants are not going to be happy, but we have a legal right.”
In its statement, REDICO said the company recognized Tlaib’s concerns and has offered to meet with her to review the lease and answer her questions.
“Transparency and accuracy are important to us, and we welcome constructive dialogue,” the real estate firm’s statement reads.
In the wake of the protest, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said federal immigration officers’ escalation in U.S. cities “has created fear and uncertainty” among communities. McDonald said ICE’s presence in Southfield “will only heighten that fear.”
McDonald, who is running for attorney general, said all Oakland County residents have the constitutional right to be free from unlawful arrest regardless of immigration status.
“I am committed to working with Oakland County’s local law enforcement to ensure everyone’s rights are protected and that allegations of lawlessness — including by federal officers — are fully and transparently investigated by independent authorities,” McDonald’s statement reads. “As Oakland County Prosecutor, I will hold anyone who breaks the law accountable, no matter who they are. No one is above the law.”
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tlaib: ICE use of Southfield office space enables ‘deportation machine’
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
