State, local officials ask judge to block construction of Roxbury ICE center

State and local officials asked a federal judge Tuesday night to block U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from beginning construction on a proposed migrant detention center in the Morris County town of Roxbury. 

In a 49-page request for a preliminary injunction, state and Roxbury officials argued that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE have failed to comply with federal laws requiring them to consult with local officials and to conduct assessments on the impact construction would have on the environment and local resources. They said ICE, which is gearing up to convert a warehouse into a detention center that might hold up to 1,500 people, could begin construction as early as late May.

“The Trump Administration has ignored State and local officials in pushing its ill-conceived plan forward because it knows the local impacts are indefensible, and this facility will not make the community safer,” Sherrill said in a release. “We are standing up for New Jerseyans in a bipartisan manner to ensure their drinking water, public safety, and pocketbooks are protected.”

If granted, the preliminary injunction would prevent ICE from beginning to convert the warehouse as their lawsuit challenging the detention center makes its way through court.

Local officials say they’ve rarely heard from the DHS about the project, leaving them in the dark. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) penned a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday to ask for further communication and collaboration with local officials.

The plan to open a massive detention center in Roxbury has drawn ire from locals, including the town’s all-GOP council. The town, in fact, joined state officials to sue the Trump administration last month.

Local officials say the site is unsuitable for a project of that size. The bathrooms in the building are built for just a handful of people. State legislators say that section of town would need major water and sewage infrastructure work to be able to handle the detention center.

The filing argues that the federal National Environmental Policy Act and Intergovernmental Cooperation Act are meant to prevent the “hasty, unilateral” action taken here by the federal government.

“We need swift relief to ensure we can enforce the law and protect New Jerseyans. DHS cannot transform local neighborhoods into detention outposts without considering the impacts on local resources and consulting with the State and local governments,” Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said. “The court needs to step in before the damage is done, not after a lengthy case renders it too late.”