The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the end of Temporary Protected Status for Yemen. The designation was first granted to Yemeni nationals in September 2015 due to war in the country. TPS designation was renewed several times between 2017 and 2024.

Noem says the conditions in the country have improved, no longer warranting TPS. She says the designation was meant to be temporary.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about 1,400 Yemeni nationals had TPS status as of last year.

Secretary Noem says TPS beneficiaries who have exhausted their lawful basis for staying in the U.S. have 60 days to self-deport—that’s April 14. People are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app to report their departure for self-deportation, which includes a complimentary plane ticket and a $2,600 dollar bonus, which Noem says leaves the possibility of legal opportunities for future immigration. Those who do not leave may be arrested and deported and cannot return to the U.S.

TPS recipients can seek out legal residency through asylum or work visas.

Two Detroit police officers have been suspended for coordinating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Detroit Free Press reports that led to two people being possibly deported.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison requested the officers' pay be suspended. Previously, Bettison told Detroit City Council members the police department does not do immigration enforcement.

On Feb. 9, a Detroit sergeant called Border Patrol when an officer requested translation services for a non-English speaker during a traffic stop, prompting an investigation by CBP who then took the person into custody. Another incident occurred in December, when an officer called Border Patrol while investigating a felony warrant.

The Board of Police Commissioners will decide this week whether to suspend the officers’ pay. Bettinson says officers have been discouraged from working with Customs and Border unless a detainer is issued and signed by a judge.

A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CBS News Detroit on Sunday the federal agency has purchased a facility in Romulus.

The facility is expected to bring nearly 1,500 jobs to the area, just under $150 million in economic activity and more than $33 million in tax revenue.

Last week, Romulus Mayor Robert McCraight said in a Facebook post that the Department of Homeland Security secured a building about 6 miles northwest of Detroit Metro Airport.

McCraight said that the detention center would be opposed by the city at all levels and he is working with legal counsel to determine what authority the city has to stop it.

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

The Williams Recreation Center is hosting a college fair next week. It will feature admissions and scholarship information, financial aid guidance and student and alumni engagement. Light refreshments will be provided, and it’s free and open to the public.

Call 313-628-2039 or email taylor.small@detroitmi.gov for more info. The college fair takes place on Feb. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Mayor Sheffield is focusing on the well-being of children in Detroit with a new leadership team. During a press conference yesterday, Chanel Hampton was named Detroit’s first Senior Director of Youth and Education. Sheffield said that Hampton and Director of Youth Affairs Jerjuan Howard will work to reduce chronic absenteeism, improve transportation for kids to get to school and expand after school programs.

Hampton and her team will focus on youth up to 26 years old. During the press conference Sheffield teased an upcoming initiative to reduce absenteeism that will require City Council approval.

Hamtramck Mayor Adam Alharbi is hosting a meet and greet with two new city leaders. New City Manager Adel Al Adlani and Acting Chief of Police Hussein Farhat will join the mayor to answer questions from the community and share their vision for Hamtramck.

This is all in an effort to create more transparency in the city and for the public to know city officials. The meeting will be held at the Hamtramck Public Library on Sunday Feb. 15 from 7-9 p.m.

NBA

All Star Weekend is upon us as Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren represent the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons head into all star weekend with 40 wins, leading the Eastern Conference. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder have a better record.

You can see both Cunningham and Duren play in the NBA versus World All. Star Game on Sunday Feb. 15 at 5 p.m.

Winter Olympics

American Ice Dancers Madison Chock from Novi and Evan Bates from Ann Arbor won silver in the free dance. Both skaters voiced that they believed they delivered a gold medal performance with their matador and bull themed routine.

This is a bounce back from the Beijing Games where they missed the podium completely. It is unclear whether Chock and Bates, who have been partners for 15 years and are married, will retire or return for another Olympic cycle.

High school sports

DPSCD’s Public School League girls basketball semi-final champions are Mumford’s Lady Mustangs. They beat Cass Tech 58 to 38 yesterday. DER’s High School Sports Correspondent Lex Walker was wearing a different hat at that game – she was on the court. But she told us why the win was important.

"We’ve been striving to get to where we are today…We for sure became more competitive after this losing streak we’ve been on for like 5 games. It’ll motivate us to play even better knowing that we didn’t put in the work for nothing. Now we know we just have something more competitive to look forward to on Sunday."

The Lady Mustangs go on to the PSL basketball championships Sunday. The boys basketball championship matchup will be determined by games today. Cass Tech plays Douglass; King takes on Western.

The Detroit Public Library is hosting "Author Talk: Valentine’s Day Black romance writers panel." The event features moderator Ebony Evans, and authors Katrina Jackson, Sylvia Hubbard, and Aliza Mann.

Copies of the panelists books will be available for purchase but admission is free. Seats will be first come first serve. This is all going down at the Detroit Public Library on Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. For more information go to detroitpubliclibrary.org.

Non-profit organization Black Leaders Detroit is known for its mission to provide access to capital for Black entrepreneurs. Now the group is extending those services to developers in the city. The program is a response to residents’ complaints of seeing development in the downtown area, but not in the neighborhoods.

Dwan Dandridge is the CEO of Black Leaders Detroit. He says the goal is to make sure Detroiters who have stayed in the city for generations can benefit from the city’s resurgence.

“We are aware that there have been and there are others that desire to be developers, that want to take on the challenge of making sure that development is happening in the neighborhoods. So, we're just looking to empower them, right? Because the capital is missing in that space.”

The program offers zero-interest loans of up to $150,000 to rehabilitate a single family homes or up to four-unit multifamily property. The loan is only open to developers looking to invest in Detroit neighborhoods.

Dandridge says there are restrictions put in place to help protect neighborhoods from speculators looking to take advantage of the program.

“One of the requirements is that you either completed the project and brought it to a finish, to finish at least one and meaning that property is renovated. It's either you sold it or you're renting it out currently, and if you have not completed at least one project, you've gone through Building Community Values program that's put on by Chase Cantrell.”

Dandridge says one of the ways the organization raises support for the program is through donations. The group is looking for people who wish to donate one dollar a week to support the program. Dandridge says he hopes to reach 1 million people to make that commitment.

For more information visit blackleadersdetroit.org. Applications for the loans open on April 1.

The Henry Ford is celebrating Black History Month with the theme “A Century of Black History Commemoration.” The museum has a series of events including a guided tour called “Three Cheers for Black History” which shares the untold stories of Black innovators. Visitors can also see the Equality exhibit, which tells the story of the first African Americans to compete in the national spelling bee.

There will also be a Black entrepreneurs vendor market that is free to the public, as well as multiple author talks on books on Harriet Tubman and the Civil War. Visit thf.org for all special events and programming.

The Detroit Historical Society is launching its second round of The Hustle, a community engagement and exhibition program. The program was designed to spotlight Black entrepreneurs through photography, oral interviews, exhibits and more.

The society is looking for nominations from the community on who to spotlight next. Visit detroithistorical.org/hustle to nominate a business or business owner. Nominations will close on April 26.

Mayor Mary Sheffield announced that Winnie Lao will be taking over as the new chief operating officer of Detroit today.

Liao’s main duties will include focusing on the way residents and businesses interact with city government and making it easier for Detroiters to access basic services. She will supervise 16 different departments, including the Fire Department and Detroit Water and Sewerage.

“Together, we’ll ensure that city services are equitable, efficient, innovative and customer-focused. We will have a city government that works for all,” says Liao.

Liao will begin her new job next week. She previously worked at Mastercard and the Michigan Secretary of State’s office.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District will invest $79 million dollars to improve city schools and reduce neighborhood blight. The district says the one-time investment comes from surplus funds.

DPSCD says it will spend $32 million to tear down nine old school buildings and 11 other vacant properties. Funds will also be spent to improve paving and fencing at certain facilities. Some of the money will be used to help build a new athletic complex at Cooley High School.

Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles has closed. The northwest Detroit eatery posted the news on Instagram. The restaurant thanked its patrons and says it’s onto new ventures. Kuzzo’s opened on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion, otherwise known as Livernois, back in 2015.

Detroit’s three casinos posted revenue of $103.9 million in January. That’s up just under a percentage point from January 2025.

MGM Grand continued to hold the lion’s share of the market at 49%. Motor City Casino controlled 30%. Hollywood Casino at Greektown had 21% of Detroit’s gaming market last month.

The three casinos provided the city with $12.3 million in wagering taxes and development agreement payments in January. They paid another $8.4 million to the state of Michigan.

Major League Baseball pitcher Justin Verlander is returning to Detroit. The Cy Young award winning right-hander started his career with the Tigers in 2005. He spent 12 and a half seasons with Detroit before being traded to the Houston Astros, where he won World Series in 2017 and 2022. He has signed a one-year contract with Detroit worth $13 million.

President Trump says he won't allow the Gordie Howe International Bridge to open until Canada gives him what he wants.

He didn't specify what that is, but in a social media post, Trump threatened to prevent the opening unless Canada repays the U.S. for everything it has done for its northern neighbor. He also demanded half-ownership of the bridge, which Canada paid for.

In an interview with the Windsor Star, Mayor Drew Dilkens called the post unhinged.

Pregnant and new mothers who live in Detroit can now receive cash assistance with no strings attached. The payments will come from the Rx Kids program—which provides $1500 to expecting mothers and $500 a month for the first six months of their baby's life.

The program started in Flint and is now active in over 25 lower income communities around the state. That includes Pontiac, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Hazel Park, and Dearborn.

Former state Representative Abraham Aiyash has announced he plans to run for the Michigan senate. Aiyash served in the state House from 2020 to 2024. He is seeking the Democratic nomination for the District 1 seat currently filled by Erika Geiss.

Coco Gauff has donated $150,000 to the United Negro College Fund to support tennis players at HBCUs. The Michigan Chronicle reports Gauff made a similar $100,000 gift in 2025, creating the Coco Gauff Scholarship Program.

The Sherwood Forest Library branch is hosting a series of Community Doula Workshops. Conversations will be centered around information and resources for new and expecting mothers, and include topics about mental health, labor and delivery advocacy and access to resources.

The series is hosted by Penny Love Fitness. Join this week Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 11:30 a.m. at Sherwood Forest Library at 7117 West Seven Mile Road.

Valentine’s Day is not the only thing to celebrate this weekend. Free Fishing Weekend is Saturday and Sunday. This is one of two weekends during the year when people can fish without a license and without needing a recreation passport to access state parks.

All fishing regulations still apply. The next free fishing weekend is in June. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/dnr.

The Bangladeshi ambassador to the United States visited Hamtramck Saturday to meet with Bangladeshi Americans. Tareq Md Ariful Islam joined a town hall at the Gates of Columbus Banquet Hall to discuss U.S. - Bangladeshi relations.

Michigan Bangladeshis hope to get a permanent consulate office in Michigan to service the thousands of Bangladeshis in the state. In October 2025 the Advisory Council in Bangladesh, chaired by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, approved a proposal to open a consulate office in Michigan. It’s one of five offices scheduled to open around the world. People applauded as Ambassador Islam announced plans are moving forward to open the consulate office in Detroit.

The Embassy has provided mobile consular services over the years.

A celebration of life memorial service was held for Arab American activist Ismael Ahmed yesterday at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn. Ahmed passed away on Jan. 31.

Speakers included Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and business leader Nasser Beydoun, who shared personal memories during the celebration of his life.

Friends talked about his commitment to public service and the arts. Ahmed co-founded the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services and the Concert of Colors. He also led the Michigan Department of Human Services under former Governor Jennifer Granholm. Ahmed hosted two music shows on WDET including This Island Earth.

-Reporting by Pat Batcheller

Some candidates for governor discussed their education plans during a Michigan Education Association forum in Detroit. They generally agreed schools need more counselors and other support staff.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, says schools do need more money. She also says the state should stop relying on a per-student funding model.

"Different needs meet different communities. And, as I've talked to educators around the state, the number one thing that keeps coming up is just that, that an x amount of money for a student in Muskegon is not going to be the same as x amount of money or the same amount of money for a student in Iron River. The needs are different. The cost model needs to be different."

Democrat Chris Swanson, Republican Mike Cox, and now-independent former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also participated in the forum.

Dearborn Night of Innovation

The City of Dearborn is accepting applications for the Night of Innovation Pitch competition. The event is presented by the American Arab Chamber of Commerce. Five businesses will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges to compete for monetary awards. First prize is $25,000; second place is $10,000; and third place is $5,00 dollars for seed funding.

The City of Dearborn’s Director of Economic Development Jordan Twardy says the pitch competition is a way to showcase entrepreneurial talent in the city. Dearborn residents and business owners can apply by Feb. 27 by visiting BetOnDearborn.com.

The Night of Innovation will take place at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center May 12 from 5-8 p.m. The event is free for people to attend.

The City of Hamtramck Community & Economic Development Department is hosting an information session about the Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax. People will learn how to apply for NEZ tax abatements.

The Coffee, Tea and NEZ session is on Feb. 23 at Kitab Cafe in Hamtramck. The event is available for two sessions; one at 12 p.m. and the other at 5 p.m.

Subzero wind chills are expected this weekend as the National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory for southeast Michigan.

Even though today’s high will reach about 35 degrees, overnight lows are expected to dip well below zero with wind chill. The Weather Service says frostbite on exposed skin can happen in under 30 minutes.

The advisory is in effect until around noon Saturday.

A warmup is expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures trending above normal and highs and lows climbing out of the teens.

Until then, the city of Detroit is offering standby shelters and expanded library respite hours to protect residents from the deep freeze.

In partnership with Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, the sites will operate from 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, through noon Monday, Feb. 9.

If you are concerned about someone’s safety, call 911 to request a welfare check.

More information, including locations and hours, is available at detroitmi.gov.

A $1 million investment in an entertainment production facility for Detroit youth from Big Sean and music artist Usher is now official. Leaders held a ribbon cutting this week for the new space.

The facility is part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit and is located on the fifth floor of Michigan Central Station.

The new hub includes creative technology studios, special effects labs and a literary and storytelling lounge. It is designed for young people ages 14 to 24.

Programming is set to begin Sunday, Feb. 9.

The Pistons lost at home Thursday to the Washington Wizards, 126 to 117.

Detroit looks to bounce back tonight against the New York Knicks at Little Caesars Arena. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday. Even if the Lions are not playing, keep an eye out for new commercials from Detroit based organizations Rocket Companies and Redfin. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Grammy-nominated artist Lachi will speak at an event Monday, Feb. 9, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. for her new book, I Identify as Blind: A Brazen Celebration of Disability Culture, Identity, and Power.

The event includes a conversation with disability advocate Tameka Citchen Spruce.

Lachi was born legally blind and identifies as neurodivergent. The book explores her experiences, with the goal of challenging stereotypes and empowering people with disabilities.

For more information, visit Eventbrite.

President Trump is continuing to push lies about the 2020 presidential election in Detroit.

During an executive order signing to end the government shutdown, Trump told reporters he thinks Republicans should take election rights away from some states that the president did not win in 2020. He used three prominent swing states as examples.

"Take a look at Detroit... take a look at Pennsylvania... take a look at Philadelphia. You go take a look at Atlanta. Look at some of the places that... horrible corruption on elections."

Prominent Republican strategist and Trump-ally Steve Bannon has said ICE agents would be sent to polling places in this year's midterm elections.

Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey says any attempt to take over voting would be partisan politics at its worst. Winfrey says the results were fair and transparent then and subsequent elections have been, too. The U.S. Constitution says states decide how to conduct elections. Congress can enact some regulations, but the president has no control over elections.

The Coalition of Property Tax Justice says Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield’s recent executive order is too vague and does not do enough to stop over assessments in the city. 

Sheffield signed an order last week aimed at improving transparency in the city’s assessment process and requiring the office to meet national standards.  

Professor Bernadette Athutahene says the order does not specify how to conduct an assessment ratio study, which is required by the property tax reform ordinance. 

"We thought that the executive order would say, you know, to do a mass appraisal report, and those two things are different. The mass appraisal report, you can't apply Iao standards to a mass appraisal report."

The coalition did praise Sheffield for requiring the office follow the ratio standards of the International Association of Assessing Officers.  The coalition published a revised version of the executive order with more parameter specifics for a property assessment. 

A 500 bed ICE detention facility has been proposed for Romulus, but officials say it’s not set in stone. Romulus was among 23 locations nationwide identified in a recent Bloomberg report detailing the Trump administration's plan to buy warehouses and convert them into ICE detention centers.

The Washington Post reported in December that a warehouse in Highland Park was being looked at as a potential location. The Mayor of Highland Park has recently said the city was not interested at all and the city lacks the space for such a plan.