New Jersey suing ICE to block Roxbury detention center, Gov. Mikie Sherrill says
New Jersey is suing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security to block the Trump administration's plan to convert a vacant warehouse in Roxbury into a detention center.
Officials warn the massive facility could overwhelm the small Morris County comunity.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill and State Attorney General Jennifer Davenport on Friday announced the lawsuit accusing ICE of ignoring the concerns of the town's residents, including fierce opposition from the mayor, after it bought the vacant warehouse on Route 46, near the Highway 46 interchange with I-80.
According to the complaint, DHS plans to convert the warehouse into a facility that could hold as many as 1,500 detainees, as well as employ 1,000 staff. The lawsuit claims DHS and ICE also bypassed environmental reviews, alleging the facility would cause financial strain, endanger New Jersey's water supply, and overwhelm the town's sewer system with "more than 15 times the current approved limit" of wastewater.
It also alleges the warehouse currently consists of "a single large room with concrete floors and only four toilets," the state said.
"It's the kind of poorly thought out, chaotic idea that all too often comes from the Trump administration," Sherrill said. "The DHS plan will not make New Jersey safer. It would strain water, sewer and road infrastructure. It would divert emergency resources. It would displace potential housing and disrupt growth."
"Quite simply, the Trump administration is ignoring federal law," Davenport said.
Immigrant rights advocates say the lawsuit is overdue, but argue the problems go far beyond this particular location. They say it is still too easy for ICE to make arrests in New Jersey.
"The legislature passed protections that would close loopholes in cooperation with ICE. But they've since been watered down. If we want to limit the amount of jails, we have to limit the ways in which we're cooperating on arrests," said Amy Torres of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.
"These types of facilities also have a long track record of abuse, mistreatment, and unsafe conditions. This is not a partisan issue – Republican leaders in the community are similarly against this facility. That is why we are joining with Roxbury to stop this facility to protect the community and our Constitution," Sherrill said.
"Let's be honest about this. This case isn't about the environment. It's about trying to stop President Trump from making America safe again. The left didn't care about the mountains of litter that illegal aliens dropped on ranches and riverbeds during Biden's border crisis. They're feigning concern now because they want those same illegal aliens to stay forever and vote here," an ICE spokesperson told CBS News New York in response. "Prior to purchasing this site, ICE carefully evaluated the use of existing facilities to help minimize environmental impacts, including potential impacts to protected species, sensitive natural resources, and valued cultural resources."
In February, hundreds of people in Roxbury protested against ICE's plan to build the facility. The residents said they were concerned about the site straining local resources and costing the town much-needed revenue, since government-owned buildings do not pay property taxes.
ICE previously said it would convert the warehouse to "very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards." The agency claimed the town would benefit from 1,300 construction jobs and "more than $39.2 million in tax revenue."