Reports of an ICE detention center in Roxbury sparks backlash

✅ Roxbury officials respond to a report of a possible ICE detention center

✅ The Township council votes to oppose any potential facility

✅ Local, state, and county officials have had no communication with ICE

ROXBURY — Despite having little information, the Morris County township council approved a resolution opposing an ICE detention facility inside a warehouse.

Speculation began in reports by the Washington Post and Newsweek on Dec. 24 that the Trump Administration is soliciting for contractors to convert at least seven warehouses around the country into "large-scale holding centers," including one in Roxbury that could hold 1,500 people. The goal is to house detainees close to where they are detained rather than be transferred to facilities in the South.

Residents in Roxbury are up in arms at the news and are pressuring local officials for answers. At the township council meeting on Dec. 30, Mayor Shawn Patillo said no township official had been contacted. Discussions with county, state, and federal officials had the same response.

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Township council passes ordinance opposing ICE detention facility

The council, at its meeting on Tuesday, took things a step further by passing an ordinance stating its opposition to any detention center, as it would stress water, sewer, and public safety resources.

"It is the position of the Township Council of the Township of Roxbury that it is not an appropriate municipality for the placement of a detainee processing facility," the ordinance states."

Nineteen people spoke against any future centers, including state Sen. Anthony Bucco, D-Morris, who said that if a center were proposed for Roxbury, it would not be easy to fight, as federal law takes precedence over local law.

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