In the News
At just 18 years old, Allie Hayes, who has Down syndrome, was targeted online by a predator who coerced her into sending explicit photos. Well, since then Allie and her family have spent years fighting to protect other vulnerable adults.
Well, this moment has been years in the making for Allie Hayes and her family. As you can see in this photo, it was just over two years ago that Governor Whitmer signed Justice for Allie into law, and now, here in 2026 this law could go from the Governor's desk to the President's desk.
U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, Ann Arbor, and Haley Stevens, Birmingham, have officially introduced the Justice for Allie Act in Congress today — federal legislation modeled closely after the Michigan law, which earned unanimous bipartisan support. The federal version includes language that adds "with the intent to cause harm."
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 and Hillary Scholten toured the ICE detention center in Baldwin and said they are seeking more transparency after the death of a detainee at the facility.
“Unfortunately, the outreach that Congresswoman Scholten and I made to our Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem went unanswered, around the death of Mr. Gantchev,” Stevens said.
Representatives, Hillary Scholten and Haley Stevens of Michigan toward an ICE detention facility in Baldwin, where a man died in custody last December. Nenko Gantchev, a 56 year old from Bulgaria, was found unresponsive in his cell at the North Lake Processing Center on December 15.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten toured the North Lake Processing Center in Lake County Tuesday. They walked through and spoke with some of the detainees. It's the largest processing center in the Midwest.
"I got a chance to speak to a handful of the people who are detained. The stories range from heartbreaking to frustrating," Stevens said.
"What I saw today was not the worst of the worst. In fact, I had to ask about the safety and security," Stevens said.
"Do you have weapons on you? Do you carry firearms? No. Do you carry Tasers? No. So if this is the worst of the worst, then why don't we need our guards? They said no one in the facility has arms," Stevens said.
"We went through the intake process of what it would be like to be an individual who was being brought in to the ICE detention facility," Stevens said.
While Stevens says she also got to talk with those behind bars, including a woman who was arrested in Macomb County and is currently pregnant.
"She was so shaken and so upset and so fearful missing her young child and of course worried about her pregnancy," said Stevens.