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NJ, Roxbury sue to block proposed ICE facility

By: William westhoven
and Katie Sobko
Morristown Daily Record
USA Today Network - New Yersey

..... New Jersey and Roxbury Township sued the Trump administration on March 20, [2026] saying it had "flouted bedrock federal statutory mandates" in approving plans for a proposed immigrant detention center in the Morris County town.
..... Filed in federal court, the complaint contends the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement made an "unlawful decision" to purchase a warehouse along Route 46 in Roxbury with the intention of housing as many as 1,500 migrants at a time.
..... the plan has promoted months of local protests and opposition from both Democratic leaders like Governor Mikie Sherrill and the township's all-Republican council.
..... The lawsuit says the federal agencies ignored the strain a detention center would put on local water and sewer systems, police and EMS and other infrastructure and services.
..... "In their rush to expand detention capacity across the country, DHS and ICE have flouted bedrock federal statutory mandates with which Congress requires it to comply," states the complaint, field in U.S. district Court in Newark.
..... It asks the court to stop the federal government from opening the facility.
..... "This is not a partisan issue. In fact, it's an area of deep agreement between both Democrats and Republicans," Sherrill said at a news conference in Newark with New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport.
..... "Roxbury, it's mayor and its entire town council are Republicans and they voted unanimously against this detention facility. They know their town better than anyone."
..... Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo, in a joint news release with Sherrill said: "We remain confident that, through the process, ti will be clearly demonstrated that this location is not appropriate for a facility of this nature, given the significant impacts it would have on our residents, local resources and the surrounding environment."

ICE response: 'Let's be honest'

..... At a March 18 [2026] U.S. senate hearing, Markwayne Mullin, Trump's nominee for Homeland Security secretary, promised to visit the Roxbury site to meet with local officials about their reservations. "We want to address those concerns," he told New Jersey Senator Andy Kim.
..... A statement from ICE after the lawsuit was announced took a more confrontational tone.
..... "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, by ICE spokeswoman Christine Cuttita.
..... "The left didn't care about the mountains of litter that illegal aliens dropped on ranches and riverbeds during Biden's border crisis.
..... "Prior to purchasing this site, ICE carefully evaluated the sue of existing facilities to help minimize environmental impacts, including potential impact to protected species, sensitive natural resources, and valued cultural resources."
...... The statement then cited five "public safety threats arrested by ICE in New Jersey," listing five men that the agency said were responsible for crimes including homicide, sexual assault, manslaughter, aggravated assault and weapon and drug violations. each was a "criminal illegal alien," according to the statement.

Roxbury warehouse 'not fit for distention'

..... The suit described plans for the facility as a done deal, arguing that DHS has "purchased the site, has confirmed the site will be converted to an immigration detention center, and is evidently soliciting construction bids to start work" even though it is, according to the plaintiffs, "not for detention."
..... "The Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for Amazon Prime packages, not people - among other things. It currently has a total of four toilets, despite the planned influx of up to 1,5000 detainees and hundreds more ICE employees," the complaint states.
..... The suit alleges the property lacks adequate water or sewage access to accommodate the scope of the proposed ICE plan. the demand could overwhelm the township's water system and send sewage into nearly neighborhoods. It would also significantly impact the state's overall water supply, the suit argues, noting that Roxbury is in the New Jersey Highlands region, source of 70% of the state's drinking water.
..... A government takeover of the site would also deprive the township of an estimated $1.8 million in annual tax revenue, according to the complaint.
..... The federal agencies violated the U.S. Administrative Procedure Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act, the lawsuit says.

Months of protests

..... The proposal has sparked mass protests and packed local meetings since it first came to light in December. [2025] In one of the most recent events, more than 1,000 people lined Route 46 in Roxbury on February 28 [2026] outside of Roxbury Town Hall, the fourth such public protest there since an article in the Washington Post mentioned that a Roxbury site was being considered as part of ICE's expanded deportation system.
..... Roxbury officials have said they received no advance notice form DHS on its plans or response to their opposition. Public documents, filed in February [2026] show that the administration agreed to pay $129.3 million for the 470,000-squaer-foot building on Route 46.
..... Council members have argued that a detention site would strain local infrastructure such as water and sewer lines and place an undue burden on fire, police and EMS personnel. The council said it tired to offer $20 million in tax abatements over 10 years to the warehouse's previous owner, Dalfen International, in an attempt to avoid the sale.
..... Facing large crowds of protesters at its meetings since the warehouse rumor first surface, the Roxbury council finally released it own criticism of DHS and the town's representative in Congress, U.S. Representative Tom Kean Jr., after the purchase of the warehouse was confirmed in February. [2026]
..... Asked for comment about the lawsuit, Kean's office referred to his February [2026] statement in response to the Roxbury council's complaints.
..... "We worked closely with officials in Roxbury and engaged directly with the highest evils of DHS on their behalf," Kean wrote. "I understand the frustration and emotion this situation has cerated. 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."
..... Kean later introduce a bill in Congress to help mitigate associated expenses for towns like Roxbury that are stuck with hoisting such facilities. The Local Taxpayer Protection Act would create a federal grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and a process for towns like Roxbury to apply for funding to cover expenses, including lost property tax revenue, increased demand on public utilities and infrastructure upgrades needed to support expanded capacity.

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