ICE Demands Judge Ignore New Jersey’s Pushback on Controversial Detention Center

The Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is aggressively pushing back against New Jersey and Roxbury Township’s efforts to block a new detention center slated for Morris County. In a federal court filing on April 23, ICE attorneys accused the state and township of using environmental law as a delay tactic, dismissing their legitimate concerns about water, sewer, traffic, and public safety as “speculative.”

ICE’s plan to convert a vacant 470,000-square-foot warehouse on Route 46 into a detention and processing center has sparked fierce opposition from Democratic leaders including Governor Mikie Sherrill, as well as the all-Republican Roxbury Township council. The state and township sued to halt construction, arguing the federal government failed to properly assess how the facility would strain local infrastructure before purchasing the property for $129.3 million in February.

The plaintiffs’ civil engineer warned that if the center housed 1,500 detainees as initially feared, it could generate 187,500 gallons of wastewater daily — a volume that would overwhelm local systems and clog roads. But ICE disputes those numbers, claiming the facility is designed for only 542 detainees and that a full environmental review will precede any major construction.

For now, ICE says it will limit work to installing security fencing, cameras, lighting, and fiberoptic alarm systems to prevent vandalism and arson — issues that have plagued other ICE sites. They also plan minor repairs like drywall demolition and HVAC fixes but insist no substantial construction has begun.

ICE’s brief frames the detention center as an urgent necessity to manage more than 351,000 New Jersey residents with final orders of removal, including thousands with criminal records or pending charges. The agency insists it is fulfilling its federal mandate and will consider local input before moving forward.

But New Jersey officials argue that federal immigration authority does not exempt DHS from environmental laws or local infrastructure concerns. The legal battle underscores how the Trump administration’s detention expansion continues to face fierce resistance from communities demanding accountability and transparency.

This fight over the Roxbury detention center is emblematic of a broader pattern: ICE aggressively expanding detention capacity while dismissing environmental and civil rights concerns. As the agency presses forward, New Jersey’s leaders and residents are doubling down on their efforts to hold them accountable and protect their communities from the devastating impacts of mass detention.

[Read the original story on NorthJersey.com]