North Lake Processing Center

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Supporting immigrants, supporting our neighbors

Leelanau residents Barb Schneider and BJ Christensen write with moral clarity about their visit with a 26-year old Venezuelan named Edwin at GEO Group’s North Lake Detention Center in Baldwin, 80 minutes from Leelanau County. There are approximately 1,500 detainees housed there in ICE’s largest detention center in the Midwest. Schneider and Christensen learned that about 82 percent had committed no crime and have not had visitors for months. Edwin is the sole provider for his family: his wife, newborn, and mother are here in the U.S. He sends money for food to Venezuela for his father and grandfather.

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August primary sets stakes for big Michigan November election

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When Leelanau County voters cast their ballots in the primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the outcome of their decisions may resonate far beyond these sunny summer days. Who wins the closely watched intraparty contests for Michigan Governor, U.S. Senator, and Congress could set the paths forward for the Democratic and Republican parties at a time of political upheaval in this country. This story breaks down the Democratic primary race between Callie Barr and Kyle Blomquist, who are bidding to take on incumbent Republican Jack Bergman in the November race for Congress—and why Barr and Blomquist, and fellow Republicans challenging Bergman in the Aug. 4 primary, believe the incumbent is vulnerable in 2026.

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Michigan nonagenarian speaks out against ICE detention

“We’ve got to speak up and say ‘this is not right!’” 90-year-old Clarice McKenzie explained why she stood alone along M-37 near Baldwin during a No Kings protest this spring. Baldwin is home to the North Lake Processing Center, the largest ICE detention center in the Midwest. A devout United Methodist inspired by social action, McKenzie joined Grand Rapids clergy on a visit with detainees at North Lake this spring.

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Extended ICE Detention at North Lake: the psychological impact on Michigan detainees

For many of the people detained at North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan, there’s no way to know how long they’ll be there. “I feel abandoned,” said Kamal Tijani, who arrived in the U.S. from Nigeria in 2017. “In here, sometimes you feel down, and sometimes you feel like you know nobody cares about you… you call your friends, and they don’t pick up.” Tijani has been at North Lake in Baldwin since October of 2025—meaning he’s spent nine months in ICE detention. North Lake is ICE’s largest detention center in the Midwest, located just 80 minutes from Leelanau County. The facility currently holds approximately 1,500 detainees, with a capacity of 1,800.Over half of the people held there as of March had no criminal convictions or pending charges. They’re held as “immigration violators”—a civil charge.

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Profiting from pain: bearing witness inside ICE’s Baldwin immigrant prison

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Elmwood Township resident Scott Perry traveled to Baldwin last month to see for himself what was really happening at ICE’s North Lake Processing Center operated by the for-profit prison corporation, Geo Group. “There was an organized protest at the gate and I wanted to see who would be there. I went to hear what the messages would be, who would be working, and set eyes on the largest immigrant detention center in the Midwest,” he writes. “When you follow the money, it starts to make sense. The Geo Group receives $150 per day per inmate, from our tax dollars. At the time of this publication, that totals more than $40,000, just from my new Venezuelan friend I met inside. North Lake holds approximately 1,500 detainees, with a capacity of 1,800 beds. That amounts to $240,000 per day for Geo Group.”

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Traverse City immigrant joins hunger strike inside Baldwin ICE facility; local faith leaders pray, fast in solidarity

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Soon after Lynn’s husband arrived on March 5 at the North Lake Processing Center — the mammoth ICE detention center in Baldwin, Michigan — the food began to make him sick. “I haven’t seen an orange the whole time I’ve been here,” the husband told Lynn, a U.S. citizen and Traverse City resident who shared their family’s story with the Glen Arbor Sun this week. The couple, who have a 2.5-year-old son, worship at Guadalupe Chapel in southeastern Leelanau County, where local clergy held a prayer service and press conference on Monday to illuminate the plight of detainees in federal custody. Lynn’s husband is one of several immigrants detained, as ICE detentions mount in Northern Michigan.

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“Small-town America pushes back against authoritarianism” as Traverse, Leelanau Indivisible hold third No Kings national day of action

Traverse Indivisible and Leelanau Indivisible are teaming up to hold a third No Kings national day of action in Traverse City on Saturday, March 28, as millions gather nationwide to protest the Trump administration’s policies and politics, at home and around the world. Organizers say they expect as many as 7,000 people to march in Traverse City “as small-town America pushes back against authoritarianism.” In a city of 16,000 people, that would make No Kings Day one of the largest protests in Northern Michigan history. The march begins at 1 pm at F&M Park in downtown Traverse City. Click here to read our coverage in the Glen Arbor Sun of the impact of the Trump administration’s politics and policy on Northern Michigan communities.

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Family of ICE detainee offers mutual aid for fellow immigrants

One week after Fernando Ramirez was released from the massive federal immigrant detention center in Baldwin, he sat beside his eldest grandchild Liam on Jan. 17 in a family member’s home in Grand Rapids and placed a lit candle in the 13-year-old boy’s birthday cake. “You are affectionate and charismatic. I wish you everlasting happiness,” the abuelo told the newly minted teenager. During his more than three months at the North Lake prison, Fernando became a leader and advocate for fellow prisoners in his pod—most of whom were Hispanic. Older than most, and fluent in English, he interpreted for them, bonded with them, encouraged them to eat meals, remain active and avoid sleeping too much. Meanwhile, his daughters Samantha and Nahomi quickly realized that they could play a critical role in supporting not just their father but his fellow detainees at North Lake. The sisters helped members of Fernando’s familia inside the prison walls reconnect with their own families. They interpreted for family members who didn’t speak English, and sometimes phoned the North Lake staff to share important medical information. Late last year they started a Facebook page called “Raíces Migrantes” to help families in West Michigan whose loved ones are detained by ICE—many of them at the North Lake facility in Baldwin.

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