New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill expressed her opposition to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem regarding plans to convert a 470,000‑square‑foot industrial warehouse in Roxbury into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.
She cited DHS’s lack of transparency and disregard for community concerns — including unanimous opposition from the Roxbury Township Council — over the facility’s projected strain on local infrastructure, the environment, and the economy.
She also raised concerns about public safety and conditions at the proposed facility, noting the unacceptable and inhumane treatment of detainees at other ICE detention centers.
Governor Sherrill pledged that New Jersey would explore all options to safeguard the community’s interests and safety and would use every tool at the state’s disposal should DHS fail to comply with applicable laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act.
ICE spent $129.3 million on a 470,000-square-foot warehouse in Roxbury on Route 46 that will be turned into a detention center with the capacity to hold 1,500 immigrants, according to multiple media reports. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security closed on the sale on Feb. 19.
Here is a copy of the letter:
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both D-N.J., proposed federal legislation in Congress on Thursday, Feb. 26, to prohibit the DHS from using taxpayer dollars to purchase warehouses or to use warehouses to detain non-citizens.
The End Warehouse Detention Act would prohibit the DHS from purchasing a warehouse, contracting with the owner of a warehouse for detention purposes, and repurposing, operating, staffing, or maintaining already purchased warehouses, such as the one in Roxbury.
“Donald Trump is using the money he and Congressional Republicans took from working families’ healthcare to fund his cruelty and open detention facilities that our communities have made clear we want no part of. Like in Roxbury, people across the country are standing up against this inhumanity, and Congress needs to stand with them. These are our tax dollars – not a slush fund for this administration’s lawlessness, ” said Kim.