Note: Asterisks indicate aliases for certain interviewees to ensure their safety.

The American dream has become a nightmare for many immigrants as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) expands its presence in communities of color. In Detroit, where large populations of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and African immigrants live, families are gripped by fear, frustration, and distrust as loved ones are detained. Many of those taken into custody are breadwinners who are actively pursuing legal status, yet they are being detained while navigating the immigration process. The financial, emotional, and psychological strain is tearing families apart.

“I think this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do,” Miriam Stone told BET about her brother, *Marty, who has been detained since December 6, 2025. “Seeing him after two weeks was alarming. He lost a lot of weight, and it was very sad.”

The husband of a U.S. citizen and father of a 1-year-old daughter, *Marty was on his way to work as a construction worker when he and a co-worker were stopped by ICE and taken into custody. He was transferred to the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, roughly 3.5 hours from Detroit. According to his family, it did not matter that he showed agents two valid forms of government-issued identification. Described as quiet and hardworking, *Marty was also the primary caretaker for his ailing father, who recently died.

Amazon Flex driver *Nino was detained on February 2, 2026, while on FaceTime with his wife, *Elaine. One month later, *Elaine was also detained while working to earn money to hire an attorney for her husband. Unlike Miriam and her brother, the couple has no other family in the United States. Advocates report that dozens of Flex drivers in the Metro Detroit area have been detained in recent months, disrupting both families and local delivery routes.

“Because this president has chosen to try to deport as many people as possible, ICE is targeting those who are easiest to detain — including individuals showing up for their required immigration check-ins,” Senator Stephanie Chang told BET. Along with Senators Mary Cavanagh and Jeremy Moss, Chang is sponsoring three bills to increase transparency into ICE enforcement practices. Advocates allege that detainees at the North Lake facility have faced expired food, delayed medical care, and prolonged isolation. Bonds ranging from $15,000 to $40,000 must be paid in full for detainees to be released.

ICE’s presence in and around Detroit has sparked protests, including demonstrations outside an ICE-leased office space in Southfield and a warehouse in Romulus slated to become another detention facility. Many immigrants say they are afraid to let their children play in public parks or attend school, while others avoid seeking medical care out of fear of detention.

Heidi West, a sixth-grade teacher at the Academy of the Americas in Southwest Detroit — an area with a dense Hispanic population — says deportations have directly impacted her classroom.

“Two students just left. They were American citizens, but they moved to the country where their family was deported,” she said. “Seeing them leave in the middle of the school year is heart-wrenching. Their friends turn around, and suddenly they’re gone.”

She added, “I had three students who were out of school for months after a family member was deported because of the trauma and stress.”

Advocates, community leaders, and elected officials at the local, state, and national levels are calling for greater oversight and accountability. Meanwhile, cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities has raised concerns. At least two incidents have been reported in which Detroit police officers contacted ICE during traffic stops, despite department policy limiting such cooperation.

“The misconception is that these immigrants just arrived yesterday — or a few weeks ago,” Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib told BET. She wore a “F*** ICE” pin during President Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24. “Some of them have been here for more than 30 years, raising families and contributing to our communities.”

As of February 2026, the North Lake facility housed approximately 1,400 detainees in its 1,800-bed capacity, making it the largest immigration detention center in the Midwest. The GEO Group, which operates the facility, reported record profits of $254 million in 2025 — up from $32 million in 2024. Nationwide, more than half of the roughly 70,000 ICE detainees have no criminal charges or convictions.

Organizations such as the Michigan Immigration Rights Center, Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, and  Peoples Assembly are educating immigrants on resources while working in tandem with community activists like Veronica Rodriguez, who describes ICE as “bounty hunters” snatching immigrants for profit.

“We have to be bricks in a wall to stand up against ICE — that’s what it will take,” Rodriguez said.