Roxbury Township, NJ – The Trump administration has revived plans to consider converting a massive warehouse in Roxbury Township into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, marking another reversal in the long-running legal battle over the federally owned property.
The move comes as ICE has significantly increased immigration enforcement operations across New Jersey in recent weeks, with arrests reported in communities including Toms River, Lakewood, Paterson, Newark, Morris County, and other municipalities. Federal authorities have announced the arrests of individuals accused of crimes including gang activity, drug trafficking, child exploitation offenses, human trafficking, and violent crimes.
Federal officials reverse course again
In a filing submitted Friday to a federal court, Justice Department attorneys said the Department of Homeland Security has once again changed its position regarding the $129.3 million Roxbury warehouse.
Just nine days earlier, government lawyers informed the court that DHS no longer intended to convert the property into a detention center and instead planned to sell the facility.
That position has now been reversed.
“DHS officials have reconsidered their position and now intend to move forward with plans to consider the retrofitting of the Roxbury Township warehouse facility for use as a detention facility,” federal attorneys wrote in the court filing.
The government did not explain what prompted the latest change, adding only that “agency deliberations remain ongoing” as of July 10.
Increased enforcement driving detention needs
The renewed interest in the Roxbury facility comes as the Trump administration continues an aggressive immigration enforcement campaign throughout New Jersey and across the country.
Federal officials have said expanded enforcement operations have resulted in the arrests of numerous individuals accused of serious criminal offenses, increasing demand for detention space while immigration proceedings move forward. ICE has not announced whether the Roxbury property would replace or supplement existing detention facilities if ultimately approved.
The proposed detention center has generated controversy since it was first announced, drawing opposition from some local residents and immigrant advocacy organizations while receiving support from those who argue additional detention capacity is necessary to carry out federal immigration enforcement.
For now, the future of the Roxbury warehouse remains uncertain as the Department of Homeland Security continues to evaluate whether to retrofit the property for immigration detention.
The move comes after Trump rejected New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill’s disaster declaration for winter snowstorms, signaling a possible political showdown between Trump and the newly elected governor.
Photo: Rendering of Trump cutting ribbon at Roxbury detention center, satire/GPT
