Michigan federal buildings targeted for closure, sale
The Rosa Parks Building, which houses the Detroit field office for immigrant enforcement operations, was listed this week among more than 400 "non-core" federal properties that could soon be sold or otherwise disposed of by the Trump administration.
The potential uprooting of immigration enforcement and Customs and Border Protection staff in Michigan comes as President Donald Trump has made border security and the deportation of immigrants who illegally entered the country a top priority. It's unclear how many staff are assigned or report to work there.
Another Michigan federal building that could be sold is the historic federal building and courthouse in Port Huron, where no judge is assigned at this time, and no hearings or trials are being held anymore, a court spokesman said.
Others on the list included the Social Security Administration building in Saginaw; a parking facility on Howard Street in Detroit; and the 1928 Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center's 15-story tower in Battle Creek that houses U.S. Defense Logistics Agency and Homeland Security staff.
Separately, the Department of Government Efficiency led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk reported canceling the leases for at least seven federal offices in Michigan, including the state’s Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Sault Ste. Marie that serves Michigan's 12 federally recognized tribes, as well as the Internal Revenue Service building in Marquette in the height of tax season.
The lease cancellations came with no advance notice to tribal leaders, said Austin Lowes, chairman of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The news sent Lowes scrambling to reassure members that the sudden loss of the lease for the Indian Health Service Sanitation Office, which supports water and wastewater systems in the area, would not directly affect the tribe's medical and dental clinic, which also is supported by the Indian Health Service.
"It is unclear at this time whether that means that the offices will be permanently closed, if they will relocate to a different location, or if the leases will be renegotiated," Lowes said in a video posted on the tribe's Facebook page.
"We do not know because this administration hasn't consulted or communicated with Indian Country, which is an issue."
The moves are part of Musk and Trump's mission to drastically downsize the federal government's real estate portfolio and workforce, which the president says is bloated, corrupt and incompetent.
"My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again," Trump said Tuesday in an address to Congress. "And any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately. Because we are draining the swamp."
Disposal list removed
The General Services Administration's list included some prominent buildings in Washington, D.C., and around the country, such as the headquarters for the Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Housing and Urban Development, the American Red Cross and the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover Building. Also targeted for disposal is the Alabama bus station pivotal to the civil rights movement that now serves as the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery.
The Rosa Parks building at 985 Michigan Ave. at the western edge of downtown Detroit abutting the Lodge Freeway houses offices for the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Navy, Customs and Border Protection, and Health and Human Services, among others, according to the GSA's website.
The Rosa Parks property also serves as the Detroit field office for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is where that division instructs immigrants to report for processing. ICE headquarters didn't respond to a request for comment.
The GSA said in a statement this week it would consider non-core assets for divestment from government ownership "in an orderly fashion to ensure taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space, or the significant maintenance costs associated with long-term building ownership."
Property disposals could save $430 million in annual operating costs, according to the GSA.
The agency abruptly removed the list of non-core assets slated for disposal from its website Wednesday, with plans to repost it in the future "after we evaluate this initial input," the GSA said in a statement.
"To be clear, just because an asset is on the list doesn’t mean it’s immediately for sale. However, we will consider compelling offers ... and do what's best for the needs of the federal government and taxpayer," the agency said in a statement to The Detroit News.
"Since publishing the initial list on March 4, 2025, we have received an overwhelming amount of interest."
The office of U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said it has reached out to the GSA numerous times requesting clarity on any potential plans to close federal buildings or terminate federal leases in Michigan and has not received a response.
"Any plans to close these offices or fire their local staff without cause will unnecessarily disrupt the services that so many Michigan residents depend on," Peters said in a statement. "Elon Musk and the Trump administration need to end this reckless assault on vital government services that keep Michigan communities safe, healthy, and strong.”
The Rosa Parks building sits in the district of Democratic U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, who denounced the "arbitrary" way with which DOGE and the Trump administration are making decisions about federal properties and programs, contending they didn't even research what agencies or services are on site.
"Just like they fired the nuclear safety engineers and then hired them back, saying they made a mistake. Elon Musk and his 19-year-old staff are .... acting by the seat of their pants and basically making decisions that aren’t well thought through," Thanedar said.
"If you take away the federal employees and give away buildings, what is that going to do to the services that the American people need? Our services, which are already bad, are going to get worse, and people will suffer more."
Musk, CEO of electric vehicle giant Tesla and the world's richest man, has been granted unprecedented power by Trump to help reshape the federal government after spending $277 million of his personal fortune helping Trump get back into the White House.
Battle Creek, Port Huron history
In Battle Creek, the historic Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center is named for U.S. senators who were patients at the hospital there during World War II: Philip Hart of Michigan, Bob Dole of Kansas and Daniel Inouye of Hawaii.
The building is home to the Defense Logistics Agency and Department of Homeland Security staff, according to GSA. Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke toured the building about two years ago when DLA was celebrating 50 years at the site. At that time, the building had 2.5 million square feet of office space and 2,000 people working there, he said.
By: Melissa Nann Burke
Source: The Detroit News