DHS Won't "Back Down" On New NJ ICE Jail Despite Legal Filing: Feds

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The saga of a federal immigration detention center in Morris County seems to have no end in sight.

After federal attorneys wrote in a legal filing that Department of Homeland Security officials "no longer intend to convert the Roxbury Warehouse into an immigration detention facility and intend to sell the warehouse," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said otherwise.

"DHS will NEVER back down. We will be keeping this site for a detention center," Mullins posted on X Tuesday. "Illegal aliens have a choice: LEAVE NOW. If you don’t, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you. We have a legal system that must be followed. We will enforce our nation’s laws."

The confusion within the Trump Administration on what will be done with the site leaves New Jersey residents and politicians just as confused.

This is not the first time the DHS contradicted itself regarding the detention center site.

In May, the DHS agreed to conduct an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act before proceeding with the facility’s construction, a process that could take several months.

The concession came months after the DHS told Patch it had already "carefully evaluated the use of existing facilities to help minimize environmental impacts, including potential impacts to protected species, sensitive natural resources, and valued cultural resources," before the purchase.

If the federal government had already conducted an environmental review before purchasing the property, it's unclear why it conceded to conducting an additional assessment.

For now, from a legal standpoint, it appears the warehouse will not be converted into an immigration center. But the seemingly endless back-and-forth between New Jersey and the Trump Administration regarding the site could be far from over.

Previous Coverage:

• ICE Prison In North Jersey Is Officially Nixed, Feds Say
• New ICE Jail Construction In NJ Has Been Stopped, Sherrill Says
• New Bill Would Stop DHS From Converting NJ Warehouses To ICE Facilities On Taxpayers' Dime
• Protesters Take To The Streets Over Proposed ICE Facility In Morris Co.
• ICE Tries To Deport 300K Immigrants From NJ. Only 7 Percent Have A Criminal History