Plans For New ICE Jail In NJ Have Been Scrapped, Sherrill Says

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — After a heated few months, it appears that the federal government is abandoning its plans to build an immigration detention facility in Morris County, according to the governor.

Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security's plans to convert a Roxbury warehouse into an ICE detention jail have reportedly been scrapped.

The state, citing a report from The New York Times, says the news is "a big win for public safety, for the township of Roxbury, and for New Jersey."

“DHS’s plans were always illegal: the Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for packages, not thousands of people, and did nothing to make New Jersey safer," a statement read. "In fact, we told them it would have devastating impacts on the water and sewage systems, and compromise an environmentally sensitive area... This isn’t a partisan issue, and we’re grateful for our partnership with the Roxbury community as we keep DHS’s feet to the fire to ensure this facility is never opened.”

Patch has reached out to ICE for a comment on the facility's status and has not heard back at this time.

Rumors To Reality

The idea of an ICE detention center being built in Morris County began when a Washington Post article reported in December 2025 that the DHS would be purchasing seven warehouses across the country, including in Roxbury, to convert into immigration jails.

The news confused both Roxbury residents and officials, with Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo saying the town had not been contacted by ICE whatsoever following the release of the report.

It wasn't until Feb. 20 that, after a confusing bout of rumors, the DHS confirmed it had purchased the 470,000-square-foot warehouse in Roxbury for nearly $130 million from Dalfen Industrials. The facility was to be converted into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center to house 1,000 to 1,500 immigrants at a time.

According to ICE, the facility was paid for using new funding provided by the Trump Administration's “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The federal agency added that it plans to use the $45 billion in new funds to convert more warehouses across the country.

Even once the purchase was confirmed, Roxbury officials maintained that they had not heard from the federal government, despite attempting to reach them several times with regard to the facility.

"Inexcusable"

The DHS's move was met with bipartisan criticism from local, state, and federal officials, as well as harsh backlash from New Jersey residents.

Governor Sherrill wrote then-DHS director Kristi Noem a letter opposing the facility, calling the DHS’s procedures with regard to acquiring the Roxbury facility “inexcusable.”

“The people of Roxbury deserve better than to learn of a plan to place an immigration detention facility in their community through a newspaper article,” Sherrill’s letter reads. “Despite unanimous opposition by the Roxbury Township Council, it appears that DHS intends to proceed with the project, with little or no concern for Roxbury or the surrounding communities that would be affected by this facility. DHS’s failure to engage with Roxbury and address the concerns of Roxbury officials belies the Trump Administration's professed commitment to transparency in government.”

Also pushing back were federal lawmakers Cory Booker and Andy Kim, who penned the “End Warehouse Detention Act,” which, if passed, would prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using taxpayer dollars to purchase warehouses for immigrant detention.

More: New Bill Would Stop DHS From Converting NJ Warehouses To ICE Facilities On Taxpayers' Dime

The controversial site also sparked heated discourse among citizens, who organized a number of political demonstrations opposing ICE, the Trump Administration, and the facility itself.

More:

• Protesters Take To The Streets Over Proposed ICE Facility In Morris Co.
• Hundreds Rally, Yet Again, To Oppose Morris County ICE Facility

Legal Fallout

In March, Sherrill and Davenport announced that the state of New Jersey and Roxbury would be suing ICE over their plans to build the facility.

The suit highlights violations of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (ICA), and the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

“The safety and well-being of New Jerseyans will always be my top priority, and the Trump Administration’s plans for a detention facility in Roxbury will not make our residents safer. Instead, this facility will overburden local services and infrastructure,” said Sherrill. “This is not a partisan issue – Republican leaders in the community are similarly against this facility. That is why we are joining with Roxbury to stop this facility to protect the community and our Constitution.”

Additionally, the state and Roxbury filed a preliminary injunction motion in April, urging the U.S. District Court to stop the federal government from beginning construction on the facility until the lawsuit the state filed had been seen through.

In response, DHS filed a legal motion opposing the state’s attempt to halt construction.

ICE said that the state's claims "lack standing," and therefore, "fail to meet their heavy burden of establishing... factors (to) support an injunction."

The feds also attempted to justify the building of the facility in the filing, citing the "surge in unlawful immigration."

Related: ICE Tries To Deport 300K Immigrants From NJ. Only 7 Percent Have A Criminal History

ICE officials previously told Patch that the opposers are "feigning concern" over the facility.

"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," an ICE representative wrote in an email to Patch. "The left didn’t care about the mountains of litter that illegal aliens dropped on ranches and riverbeds during Biden’s border crisis. They’re feigning concern now because they want those same illegal aliens to stay forever and vote here."

However, in May, it was announced that the federal government would be putting its plans on a temporary hold.

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.

It wasn't until The New York Times' bombshell report was published that officials said the ICE facility plans in Roxbury would cease altogether.

"A Big Win" For NJ

The news has been met with great relief from New Jersey officials, including Congresswoman Analilia Mejia, who represents the state's 11th district.

"This is big news. The facility was illegal from the start, and today’s news follows months of community opposition," she said. "But the fight continues at Delaney Hall, Elizabeth, and beyond."

Rep. Rob Menendez, of New Jersey's 8th District, calls the move "an important win."

"From day one - we fought to stop this facility, bringing together thousands of New Jerseyans in opposition," he wrote. "Now we are on the cusp of an important win for our state."