'Inexcusable': New NJ ICE Facility Sparks Further Backlash

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent purchase of a warehouse in Morris County has prompted a slew of questions, concerns, and legislative action. Here’s what we’ve gathered:

On Feb. 20, the DHS officially purchased a 470,000-square-foot warehouse in Roxbury for nearly $130 million from Dalfen Industrials. The facility will be converted into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center to house 1,000 to 1,500 immigrants at a time.

According to ICE, the facility was paid for using new funding provided by the Trump Administration's “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The federal agency added that it plans to use the $45 billion in new funds to convert more warehouses across the country.

“Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe,” an ICE spokesperson told Patch in an email. “It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”

ICE also says the Roxbury detention center will bring 1,300 jobs to the area, contribute $161.2 million to GDP, and bring in more than $39.2 million in tax revenue.

Roxbury, however, projects that the project will account for a $1.8 million annual loss in tax revenue—impacting the Township, school district, and county—representing an estimated $85 million loss over the next 30 years.

The acquisition comes after months of opposition from both politicians and citizens, who have voiced concerns about both the logistics of the facility and the morality of the federal agencies’ actions.

Related: Protesters Take To The Streets Over Proposed ICE Facility In Morris Co.

A big concern being echoed on both sides of the aisle is the facility’s impact on Roxbury utilities.

“(The detention center’s) placement within a residential area, combined with significant limitations in water and sewer infrastructure, should have been immediate and disqualifying considerations,” a Roxbury Township statement read.

ICE says that all detention center sites, including the one in Roxbury, have undergone “community impact studies and a rigorous due diligence process to make sure there is no hardship on local utilities or infrastructure prior to purchase.”

Related: ICE Buys North Jersey Warehouse For Detention Center, Sparking Bipartisan Outcry

Local Pushback

On a local level, Roxbury officials say they will “not passively accept this outcome,” and are “preparing to pursue all available legal remedies” to halt the warehouse conversion.

Tasked with leading the charge against the facility locally is Roxbury Township attorney Anthony Bucco, who also happens to serve as the highest-ranking Republican in the State Senate. Several of Patch’s inquiries to Bucco to learn his next steps remain unanswered.

Roxbury officials have also slammed their federal representative, Congressman Tom Kean, saying, “Despite repeated outreach… (Kean) did not engage to the level we had hoped to provide the advocacy our residents deserved.”

The congressman, who is up for reelection this year, said folks need to “keep a level head” as a solution is navigated.

“We worked closely with officials in Roxbury and engaged directly with the highest levels of DHS on their behalf. I understand the frustration and emotion this situation has created,” Kean wrote on X on Saturday. “The residents of Roxbury can be assured that I will not stop fighting for a workable solution. The overwhelming majority of residents, along with the state and the country, support getting criminal illegal migrants off our streets and stopping the flow of Fentanyl. We need to, and will, keep a level head as we continue to work constructively to deliver results.”

Roxbury officials also said that the lack of communication from the DHS and ICE was “inconceivable and frankly stunning.” Officials said all of their inquiries regarding the project have gone unanswered, despite the fact that a 1,500-bed detention center is being built in their backyard.

“This community is the most impacted by this facility, yet we received absolutely no feedback from DHS,” a Roxbury statement read.

State Pushback

State politicians have also voiced their concerns about the Roxbury facility, with two senators introducing a federal bill that would restrict DHS from purchasing warehouses using taxpayer dollars.

Democrats Cory Booker and Andy Kim have introduced the “End Warehouse Detention Act,” which would prohibit the DHS from using funds gained from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to purchase, contract, and/or maintain the warehouses for immigration enforcement.

Read More: New Bill Would Stop DHS From Converting NJ Warehouses To ICE Facilities On Taxpayers' Dime

Republicans, including congressional candidate Joe Hathaway and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, have also expressed their opposition to the facility.

"Make no mistake, we need to get illegal criminals off our streets, but we also need to work with our local partners to make sure we're doing right by our communities and American citizens," Hathaway said. "In this case, DHS failed to consider the real-life implications of this center, and I will always fight for practical solutions that put NJ-11 first."

Also taking action is Governor Mikie Sherrill, who wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem calling the DHS’s procedures with regard to acquiring the Roxbury facility “inexcusable.”

“The people of Roxbury deserve better than to learn of a plan to place an immigration detention facility in their community through a newspaper article,” Sherrill’s letter reads. “Despite unanimous opposition by the Roxbury Township Council, it appears that DHS intends to proceed with the project, with little or no concern for Roxbury or the surrounding communities that would be affected by this facility. DHS’s failure to engage with Roxbury and address the concerns of Roxbury officials belies the Trump Administration's professed commitment to transparency in government.”

Sherrill’s letter also cites concerns with the environmental, quality of life, and economic repercussions the facility could entail. She also mentioned her concerns with the treatment of detainees within the facility, saying that a warehouse, “even if retrofitted— is not suitable for human confinement.

“The deplorable conditions of ICE detention centers throughout the country, including the Elizabeth Detention Center and Delaney Hall, are well documented,” the letter reads. “In short, DHS’s treatment of human beings—citizen and non-citizen alike—reflects a chilling disregard for both human life and the rule of law. New Jersey will not be complicit in this.”

Patch has reached out to ICE for comment on the state and local opposition to the Roxbury facility, and has not received a response.