Sherrill opposes DHS plan for Roxbury ICE detention facility

The basics:

• Gov. Mikie Sherrill opposes DHS plan to house 1,500 detainees in Roxbury
• Roxbury officials cite infrastructure limits, environmental concerns, public safety issues
• Township vows legal action to challenge facility development
• Sherrill highlights ICE‘s record, argues the project won’t improve New Jersey safety

Gov. Mikie Sherrill voiced strong opposition to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security‘s plan to convert a 470,000-square-foot warehouse in Roxbury into an ICE detention facility.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to house up to 1,500 people at the site. Sherrill laid out her concerns in a Feb. 27 letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“At the outset, DHS’s lack of communication and transparency with Roxbury in its acquisition of the site is inexcusable,” Sherrill wrote. “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. When Roxbury officials attempted to engage DHS to confirm the existence of such a plan, they received no reply.

“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 closed on the facility earlier this month, purchasing it from Dallas-based real estate investment manager Dalfen Industrial.

Critical issues to address

“The township previously, and unanimously, provided its opposition to a detention center via resolution 2026-029,” the Roxbury Township mayor and town council said in a Feb. 20 statement. “Over the past eight weeks, the Township remained vigilant in pursuing every fact-based and lawful avenue available to prevent this outcome.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to the many residents, professionals, and officials who worked tirelessly in defense of our community. Let us be clear: Roxbury Township will not passively accept this outcome. The Township Council and our legal team have been preparing to pursue all available legal remedies.

Let us be clear: Roxbury Township will not passively accept this outcome.
– Roxbury Township mayor and town council statement

“We are ready to challenge this matter in court and will act swiftly and aggressively to stop the development of a detention center in Roxbury Township. Critical issues — including infrastructure capacity, easements, significant environmental constraints, and intermunicipal agreements — must be fully examined and weighed through the proper legal process.”

Roxbury officials have also stressed this site is not an appropriate location for a facility of this type and usage.

“Its placement within a residential area, combined with significant limitations in water and sewer infrastructure, should have been immediate and disqualifying considerations,” the statement continued. “Furthermore, our volunteer fire department and EMS personnel, as well as our 42-member police department, are dedicated to serving the needs of Roxbury residents and are not structured to absorb the demands such a facility would impose.”

Quality of life, infrastructure concerns

Sherrill blasted DHS for its failure to engage with Roxbury residents and officials. She said it “belies the Trump Administration’s professed commitment to transparency in government.”

“Equally troublesome is the size and scope of the Roxbury facility. … According to news reports, DHS intends to convert the warehouse into an immigration detention facility that would accommodate up to 1,500 beds, potentially making it the largest such facility in our State.”

Today, I voiced my opposition directly to @Sec_Noem regarding DHS’s plan for an ICE facility in Roxbury.

The lack of transparency, projected strain on our community, and inhumane conditions in these detention facilities are unacceptable.

We will use every tool at our disposal… pic.twitter.com/VpXCy6pMll

— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) February 27, 2026

She also noted the significant resource demands it would mean for Roxbury, such as increased wastewater, trash and traffic; municipal service strain; and potential conflicts with state and local building codes and zoning laws.

“We are unaware of any steps that DHS has taken to assess the disruption to residents or the environmental impact of a detention center in Roxbury,” said Sherrill. She noted the primarily residential community in northwest New Jersey also shares environmental and public health services with surrounding towns.

‘New Jersey will not be complicit in this’

There’s also the lost economic opportunity.

Sherrill cited the importance of the warehouse and distribution sector for the state’s economic growth. According to a 2025 report, the verticals drive $295.8 billion in economic impact here.

“An industrial warehouse — even if retrofitted — is not suitable for human confinement,” said Sherrill. “Such conditions, which include undrinkable water, spoiled food, overcrowding, and a lack of medical care, are an affront to the values that New Jerseyans hold dear.”

The governor argued the project would not make New Jersey safer.

“Across the country, federal immigration officers have trampled on basic liberties and engaged in unconscionable acts of violence against law-abiding Americans,” the governor wrote. “These acts of violence have left Americans severely injured and, in some cases, resulted in their deaths. ICE agents have repeatedly violated the constitutional rights of citizens and non-citizens alike.

“I have no reason to believe that DHS will treat the people of New Jersey any differently should it expand its presence in our State.”

Sherrill also expressed concerns about ICE’s treatment of individuals in custody. She pointed to “deplorable conditions” at other detention facilities, such as the Elizabeth Detention Center and Delaney Hall in New Jersey, and others around the country.

“In short, DHS’s treatment of human beings—citizen and non-citizen alike—reflects a chilling disregard for both human life and the rule of law. New Jersey will not be complicit in this,” Sherrill said.

In closing, the governor said New Jersey will assess all options to protect the interests of Roxbury and other communities.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.