Did you know that foreign investors now own roughly 5% of all land in the state?

This major shift is now sparking debate in Lansing over whether these purchases are part of something more concerning.

Today, The ’Gander’s Kyle Kaminski breaks down who’s really buying up land across our state and why you should care.

Plus: Two members of Michigan’s congressional delegation say questions remain over the December death of an inmate at a state immigrant processing facility.

DOJ investigates 3 Michigan school districts over curriculum (Freep): The US Department of Justice is investigating three Michigan school districts—Detroit Public Schools Community District, The Lansing School District, and the Godfrey-Lee Public Schools—over whether they included instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity without allowing parents to opt out.

Planned ICE facility in Romulus sparks concerns (WXYZ): Federal immigration officials have purchased a vacant building in Romulus to convert into an ICE detention facility. While officials are touting economic benefits and job creation, the plan has sparked opposition from locals over human rights concerns.

Michigan House OKs fertility fraud bills (The Detroit News): The Michigan House approved a five-bill “fertility fraud” package that would make it a felony for doctors or donors to knowingly provide false information or use sperm, eggs, or embryos different from what a patient requested. The bill now moves to the state Senate.

Here’s something most Michiganders probably don’t know: Singapore-linked investors now own roughly 5% of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Hundreds of thousands of acres of Michigan forest tied to overseas investment funds. It’s part of a larger trend reshaping who owns farmland and forests across our state. Some lawmakers are sounding alarms about foreign landownership. Others say it’s no big deal. So what’s actually happening here?

Here’s the deal: According to the latest federal data, foreign entities now own about 1.9 million acres of agricultural land in Michigan. That’s about 9% of our farmland and about 5% of all land in the state. But here’s the twist. About 90% of that foreign-owned land isn’t farms. It’s forest. We’re mostly talking about timberland in the Upper Peninsula—not cornfields or dairy operations.

And the numbers keep climbing. Foreign investors are required to report these purchases to the USDA, and MLive crunched the numbers. They found foreign ownership in Michigan has more than doubled since 2014. Every year, more and more acres are being sold to overseas buyers. Most Michiganders don’t even know it’s happening.

So, who’s buying? In Michigan, the biggest player is Singapore, or, more specifically, timber investment firms tied to Singapore’s government wealth fund. Bridge Michigan traced the ownership through layers of LLCs and complex ownership structures to two firms. Together, they own more than 540,000 acres across the UP.

Then there’s Canada and the Netherlands, which combined own more than 800,000 acres. And last year, two Japanese investment firms bought another 67,000 acres of UP forest, as part of a climate-focused fund that’s aimed at carbon capture and sustainable timber.

Their pitch: forests are a long-term investment and a climate solution.

They’re buying up land and locking it down as long-term timber and carbon investments. And it’s working. Michigan farmland values have jumped 34% in just five years. What used to cost $5,000 an acre now goes for nearly $7,000. For overseas investors, it’s a steady, low-risk return. Still, this trend is starting to make some Michigan lawmakers uneasy.

Political correspondent Kyle Kaminski has more details on this edition of “so what, Michigan?“

(The ’Gander TikTok)

GEO Group, a private company in Florida, now owns this prison near Baldwin in Michigan and announced on March 20, 2025, it got a contract with ICE to house immigrant inmates. It was previously a youth prison. Photographed on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1999, when it housed young prisoners. (USA Today Network)

By USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

Two members of Michigan’s congressional delegation say questions remain surrounding the December death of an inmate at a Baldwin processing facility for those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

U.S. Reps. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, and Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, said their inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security about the death of Nenko Stanev Gantchev, a 56-year-old native of Bulgaria who died while being held at the North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin, have not been returned.

The lawmakers toured the facility on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and held a scrum with reporters afterward. Stevens criticized U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whom she said has not responded to a congressional inquiry about Gantchev’s death.

By Abby Deatrick

Welcome to your weekly roundup of Michigan political events, protests, rallies, advocacy opportunities, and ways to take action statewide.

📅 Friday (Feb. 20)

Traverse City Indivisible: Weekly Good Trouble Assembly Rally (Traverse City, 12-1 p.m.) — A rally calling on Congress to protect democracy and stop ICE.

Dexter Strong, Dexter Cares: “Turn ‘I’ into ‘We’” Weekly Protest (Dexter, 4:30-5:30 p.m.) — A protest to support democracy.

📅 Saturday (Feb. 21)

Indivisible: Stop The Overreach! Uphold the Constitution (Paw Paw, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.) — A protest in support of defunding ICE, releasing the Epstein files, and ensuring politicians follow the law.

Kent County Indivisible and Common Defense: Mobilization Peace Training (Grand Rapids, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
 — A training on violence de-escalation tactics and community safety.

Voters Not Politicians: Your Story. Your Power. Your Vote. Detroit Community Storytelling Event (Detroit, 12-3 p.m.) — A community event with Voters Not Politicians, Common Cause, All Voting Is Local, the Voting Access for All Coalition, and local voting rights groups about how the proposed proof-of-citizenship laws could restrict your right to vote.

📅 Sunday (Feb. 22)

Indivisible: ICE OUT-Community Weekly Vigil (Saugatuck, 5:30-6:30 p.m.)
 — A community-led ICE Out vigil for reflection and collective care.

Michigan United Action: Money Out of Politics Orientation (Virtual, 6:30-8 p.m.) — Learn about the ballot initiative to get money out of politics and how you can get involved.

📅 Monday (Feb. 23)

Western Wayne Indivisible & Downriver United 734: No Ice Facility In Romulus Protest (Romulus, 5:30-7:30 p.m.) — A protest against an ICE detention facility in Romulus, followed by a call to attend the Romulus City Council meeting immediately after.

Michigan Education Justice Coalition: Intro to Running for School Board (Virtual, 6:30-8 p.m.) — A training for those interested in running for their local school board. 

📅 Tuesday (Feb. 24)

Good Trouble Indivisible: ICE OUT: Community Think-Tank (Douglas, 5:30-7 p.m.) — An open, inclusive space for community members to come together to talk, listen, and think critically about ICE and immigration enforcement.

Kent County Democrats: Politics 101: Neighborhood to Nation (Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.) — An opportunity to learn about why local leadership matters, hear the mission of the Kent Dems, and learn how you can get involved.

📅 Wednesday (Feb. 18)

Michigan United Action: Money Out of Politics Orientation (Virtual, 6:30-8 p.m.) — Learn about the ballot initiative to get money out of politics and how you can get involved. 

Red, Wine, & Blue: New Year-New Elections Michigan Edition (Virtual, 7-8 p.m.) — An informative meeting on Michigan politics, including key races and how to make a change in local government.

📅 Thursday (Feb. 19)

Michigan Democrats: People’s Town Hall with Rep. Jason Crow & Chair Curtis Hertel (Kalamazoo 6-8 p.m.) — A town hall with Curtis Hertel and Rep. Jason Crow to share how you have been impacted by Trump and the Republicans’ agenda.

Indivisible: Meet Your Candidates: A Forum for All Voters (Hastings, 6-9:30 p.m.) — A forum to meet and hear from statewide candidates on key issues, including healthcare, immigration/ICE, the economy, foreign policy, elections, and voting.

See the full weekly list at The ’Gander.

📣 Have an event to add? Email Abigail Deatrick, The ’Gander’s state organizing coordinator, with details. Please send submissions at least one week before the event.

📬 Was this forwarded to you? Sign up to get This Week in Michigan Politics in your inbox every week.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Karel Vega with stories from Kyle Kaminski, Abby Deatrick, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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