Aric Nesbitt

ALPENA — Republican candidate for Michigan Governor Aric Nesbitt said his post on X last week seeking reaction to potentially building an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Crooked Island near Misery Bay, in Alpena County, was not serious.

The tweet was intended to be humorous and done so with tongue-in-cheek, he said.

Misery Bay is northeast of Alpena and Crooked Island sits in the bay, east of Alpena. The island is uninhabited and has no utilities or infrastructure.

Nesbitt’s post asked his followers if Michigan should build a place to house undocumented people apprehended by ICE on the local island.

On Monday, Nesbitt told The News that the post on X was not serious and there are no plans to utilize the local island to house the undocumented. Instead, he said the island should remain a key part of the area’s natural resources and wildlife.

“Although Misery Bay has an intimidating name that’s fun to use on X, unless we get some alligators in there, it’s far too beautiful to be used as a deterrent for criminals,” Nesbitt said in a text message.

Crooked Island is in Alpena Township and Alpena Township Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski said the township government has not been contacted by the state or federal authorities about a facility on the island.

The comments under Nesbitt’s post were littered with people who were opposed to the idea of an ICE detention center in Alpena and others who supported the suggestion believing it would help to reel in illegal immigration and the impact illegal immigration has on the cities, counties, and states. Nesbitt said although a facility on Crooked Island may not be feasible, all options should be considered.

Nesbitt’s post came on the heels of President Donald Trump touring the new “Aligator Alcatraz” slated to open in Florida. Alligator Alcatraz is a nickname for a planned immigration detention facility that is being built at a remote unused airstrip in the Florida Everglades which is surrounded by alligators and large snakes which would make escape difficult.

In Michigan, Nesbitt said, there has already been one new facility opened to help detain undocumented people until they are sent back to their country of origin or another country that is willing to accept them.

“Thankfully, Michigan is already helping President Trump with that mission with the recently reopened North Lake ICE facility in Baldwin,” he said. “It’s the largest ICE facility in the Midwest and has become the largest employer and taxpayer in the local community.”

The new facility in Baldwin converted the privately owned North Lake Correctional Facility which was capable of housing up to 1,800 inmates. The prison closed in 2022 and began housing federal detainees in mid-June.

Nesbitt will square off against former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, U.S. Representative John James, former Michigan Speaker of the House Tom Leonard, Anthony Hudson, and William Null during the primary election in August next year.

The winner will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November of 2026.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.