As feds send mixed signals, local GOP legislators say Roxbury isn’t ready for ICE facility

On Wednesday, an already-foggy situation in Roxbury became downright confusing. 

Gothamist, a New York City-based publication, reported that federal immigration officials had purchased a warehouse in Roxbury to convert into a migrant detention facility, citing a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. It was surprising news to local officials, who were under the impression that the property had not yet been sold.

It also seemed to be surprising news to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which later told TapInto Roxbury that the statement confirming the purchase was sent to Gothamist by mistake, saying it “was sent without proper approval.” ICE and DHS have not responded to multiple requests for comment from the New Jersey Globe.

Now, GOP legislators representing Roxbury are expressing frustration with federal officials and their belief that the site is not capable of holding a large detention facility.

Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Franklin Boro), whose 24th legislative district includes Roxbury, said neither the building nor the surrounding infrastructure can support a facility that could hold up to 1,500 detainees around-the-clock.

Fantasia visited the site earlier this winter with her districtmates, state Sen. Parker Space (R-Wantage) and Assemblyman Mike Inganamort (R-Chester Township). The warehouse — a 470,000 square-foot facility off Route 46 — currently holds just one bathroom, which she said is emblematic of the broader infrastructural issues at play, like the lack of sufficient sewage systems.

“The water capacity simply is not there,” she told the New Jersey Globe. “It is zoned for light industrial use.”

Fantasia, a Trump-backing Republican, said her opposition to the proposal stems from logistical concerns, not ideological ones.

“I understand the job they have to do, and we all want them to do it well,” Fantasia said. “My concern is that location is very, very important. The Highlands — specifically this location — is development-restricted for a reason.”

Inganamort, who lives in a town neighboring Roxbury, offered similar concerns regarding the water and bathroom capacity. He also expressed frustration with the DHS’s lack of communication with township officials and legislators.

“We frankly have no way of knowing [if the project will go forward] because there’s been little to no communication from the Department of Homeland Security,” Inganamort said. “The municipality has been reaching out to DHS, asking basic questions around timing and use, and has not gotten answers.”

The saga started in December, when the Washington Post reported on internal ICE documents showing Roxbury as a potential location — one of dozens across the country — for a new detention facility.

Last month, the township’s all-Republican council unanimously voted in opposition to the facility, and New Jersey’s congressional Democrats announced their opposition to it. This week, Rep. Rob Menendez (D-Jersey City) kicked off a new initiative alongside most of his Democratic colleagues to halt the potential project, requesting feedback from constituents on “how this facility would impact our community.”

The town’s GOP congressman, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), has not signed onto any of those efforts and has thus far declined to comment on the issue.

ICE operates two major detention centers in the Garden State. The larger of the two, Delaney Hall in Newark, can hold more than 1,000 detainees at a time and has been a focal point for protest and conflict since reopening in May.

But in trying to keep up with the Trump administration’s demands for more and more deportations — and despite the White House’s attorneys admitting that immigration officials have violated more than 50 federal judicial orders in New Jersey while executing the enforcement push — ICE is looking to increase its capacity in New Jersey. The DHS has confirmed it is seeking to establish a detention center in South Jersey’s Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, though the exact timeframe for that project remains vague.

While the situation in Roxbury is still murky, it’s clear that the town’s council and residents will resist an attempt to establish the facility. Roxbury Township Attorney Anthony Bucco — who also happens to be the top Republican in the state Senate — didn’t want to discuss specific legal steps the town might take, but he told the New Jersey Globe that the town is willing to challenge it.

“The council has authorized me, as the township attorney, to do whatever I feel is necessary to prevent [the detention center] from being located at that location,” Bucco said.

Joey Fox contributed reporting.