Menendez, Watson Coleman, and McIver Lead NJ Democrats in Calling on DHS to Abandon Roxbury ICE Warehouse Plans and Halt Further Immigration Detention

April 29, 2026 Menendez, Watson Coleman, and McIver Lead NJ Democrats in Calling on DHS to Abandon Roxbury ICE Warehouse Plans and Halt Further Immigration Detention Senators Booker and Kim, Congressmembers Conaway, Mejia, Norcross, Pallone, and Pou Join Effort to Stop ICE Warehouses in New Jersey Today, Congressmembers Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), and LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) led New Jersey House and Senate Democrats in calling on Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Secretary Markwayne Mullin to abandon plans to convert a warehouse into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) detention center in Roxbury Township. The delegation also called for a full accounting of all site selection, acquisition, and planning activities related to detention facilities in New Jersey. “In February, DHS finalized the purchase of the 470,000-square-foot warehouse in Roxbury with the intention of converting it into a detention or processing center capable of holding up to 1,500 individuals at a time,” the delegation wrote. “DHS proceeded with this plan despite clear and overwhelming opposition from local officials, Roxbury residents, and Members of Congress – and without meaningful consultation with state or local authorities.” “Moreover, as local officials and the grassroots community have repeatedly emphasized, the site lacks sufficient water and sewage infrastructure to safely support a large detention facility,” the delegation continued. “Conversion would require wastewater capacity far beyond what the local system can handle, 15 times the current approved limit, which would risk sewage overflows and environmental contamination in nearby communities and waterways.” “The people of New Jersey, local officials, and Members of Congress have made our position clear. Moving forward with the Roxbury facility despite these clear adverse consequences would represent an unacceptable failure of leadership and a continuation of policies that have already caused lasting harm in our districts. Accordingly, we urge you to permanently abandon all plans to convert the Roxbury warehouse into an ICE facility and halt any further efforts to expand immigration detention in New Jersey. We also request a full accounting of all site selection, acquisition, and planning activities related to detention facilities in New Jersey,” the delegation concluded. The proposed facility has generated widespread opposition, including a lawsuit opposing the conversion of this warehouse into an ICE facility by the all-Republican Roxbury Township government and the State of New Jersey. Last year, in response to reports that the Trump Administration was planning to expand immigration detention in New Jersey, Reps. Watson Coleman, McIver, and Menendez led bicameral members of the New Jersey congressional delegation in opposing this expansion and demanding transparency. For full text of the letter, click here . Print Email Share Tweet