A recent investigation by NPR News has revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been quietly using a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey, as a detention facility. The facility was part of a billion-dollar plan by the Department of Homeland Security to detain migrants as part of President Trump's mass deportation efforts. The plan faced fierce backlash and legal challenges from residents and immigrant advocates, resulting in a court order halting the conversion of the warehouse into a detention facility.
The warehouse in Roxbury was one of 11 purchased by Homeland Security in early 2026 to be converted into ICE detention facilities. However, the plan was met with protests in both conservative and liberal towns, and several state attorneys general filed lawsuits to halt construction due to environmental concerns. A government contractor whose company was approached to convert several of the warehouses into ICE facilities reported that the administration wanted the facilities to be "cruel" and not humane.
According to the contractor, White House adviser Stephen Miller was adamant that the facilities should not be comfortable or humane. However, a White House spokesperson denied these allegations, calling them "false hearsay" and "defamatory." The contractor's comments were made on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the government. The White House did not respond to repeated requests to speak to Miller directly.
Despite the court order halting the conversion of the warehouse, rumors began to circulate in the summer that ICE agents were using the facility to detain people. Neighbors reported vehicles speeding up the road to the warehouse, and a woman claimed that her coworker was taken there. The rumors gained traction after a historic surge in ICE arrests in July and August, with around 100,000 people detained.
On September 4, masked immigration agents rolled into Dover, New Jersey, and footage of the raids rippled across social media. A woman who witnessed the raid followed a car carrying detained individuals and took video as they were led to the Roxbury warehouse. She expressed fear of what the government might do and asked that her name not be used.
The New Jersey facility is one of several that Homeland Security is still holding onto, despite selling others. According to Michael Wriston, a former military intelligence analyst, these locations are critical to ICE's deportation agenda, filling a gap in places where ICE does not have a robust detention network. The state's Office of the Attorney General says it is looking into similar reports.
The use of the Roxbury warehouse as a detention facility raises concerns about the treatment of detainees and the environmental impact of the facility. Project NINJA, a coalition that opposes ICE detention expansion, says that several neighbors reported vehicles speeding up the road to the warehouse, and a council member from Dover received reports that people were being held there.
Key points
- The use of the Roxbury warehouse as a detention facility despite a court order halting the conversion has raised concerns about the treatment of detainees and the environmental impact of the facility.
- Homeland Security purchased 11 warehouses to convert into ICE detention facilities as part of a billion-dollar plan, but faced backlash and lawsuits from residents and immigrant advocates.
- The administration's plan to detain migrants has been met with protests and criticism, with concerns about the humane treatment of detainees and environmental impact.
