North Lake Processing Center — Baldwin MI (GEO Group) · MI · 1,800 · GEO Group

Overview

The North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, Michigan is a 1,800-bed GEO Group-operated ICE detention facility that was reactivated in 2025. It has been described as “notorious” in reporting on ICE detention conditions.

Key Details

Capacity: 1,800 beds (men and women, exclusively ICE)
Average daily population: 1,300+ (as of Feb 2026); peaked near 1,419 in Feb 2026
Operator: GEO Group
Contract value: $87 million annually (multi-year)
Reopened: June 2025 (closed 2022 under Biden private prison ban)
Location: Baldwin, Lake County, Michigan (FIPS 26085)
Designation: Largest immigration detention facility in the Midwest

Death in Custody

On December 15, 2025, Nenko Gantchev, a 56-year-old Bulgarian national, died at the facility. He was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell, struggling to breathe. Staff performed CPR and used defibrillators for nearly 30 minutes. Time of death: 9:54 p.m.

U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) and Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) sent a letter to DHS Secretary Noem and Acting ICE Director Lyons demanding answers. They toured the facility in mid-February 2026 but reported getting “no answers” about Gantchev’s death. The cause of death remains under investigation as of April 2026.

Medical Neglect and 911 Calls

Lake County dispatch logs show dozens of emergency calls from the facility since its June 2025 reopening, with major spikes in October and December 2025. Specific incidents include:

December 28: Four emergency calls in a single day
November 22: 30-year-old detainee on suicide watch refused 8 meals, avoided psychiatric meds, collapsed
Three days later: 23-year-old detainee attempted suicide
Multiple: Recurring cardiac events; dispatcher noted “What’s today, EKG day?”
Access issues: One ambulance on scene could not get in because staff could not find the keys

One West Michigan man detailed medical neglect during his detention, reporting inadequate care for serious conditions.

Conditions Reports

Family members reported to the No Detention Centers in Michigan coalition (October 2025):

Extended lockdowns lasting several hours (up from 45 min previously)
Detainees no longer allowed to eat in the dining hall — food brought to cells
GEO Group restricted attorney access and halted visitations when coalition protested
ICE encouraged self-deportation but with prolonged delays and lack of transparency
Reports of inmate protests over delays

GEO Group’s response: claims to provide “medical care, family visitations, translation services, dietician-approved meals, and recreational amenities.”

Habeas Corpus Wave

Over 800 habeas petitions filed in Michigan federal courts since January 2025, primarily from North Lake detainees. Judges granted most petitions, requiring the government to provide bond hearings or release detainees. Key rulings:

Judge Brandy R. McMillion (Eastern District, Aug 2025): Freed Juan Manuel Lopez-Campos from Monroe County Jail, calling mandatory detention “not only wrong but also fundamentally unfair”
Western District (Jan 2026): Freed Fernando Ramirez Adame (valid work permit through 2028, detained 3 months)
Western District (Feb 2026): Granted Dalveilys Pineda’s petition (Venezuelan asylum seeker, 4 months detained)

GEO Group Financials (2025)

2025 profit: $254 million (up ~700% from $32 million in 2024)
New contracts: Worth up to $520 million in annualized revenues
ICE capacity expansion: From ~20,000 to ~26,000 beds (new facilities in NJ, GA, FL, MI)
Political connection: GEO Group donated $1 million to Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign
Leadership: CEO J. David Donahue retiring Feb 2026; founder George Zoley assuming role Mar 2026-Apr 2029

Context

One of four GEO Group facilities reactivated in 2025 as part of the company’s expansion from ~20,000 to ~26,000 ICE beds. More than 4,600 people spent time in ICE custody in Michigan from Jan-Oct 2025, with nearly half passing through Baldwin. Michigan now hosts both the North Lake Processing Center (private) and the contested Romulus warehouse (federal), making it a significant node in the detention network.

ICE is working toward 100,000 beds nationwide, with the Trump administration allocating $45 billion for the effort.

Detention Pipeline

North Lake Processing Center — Baldwin MI (GEO Group)