ICE illegally using Roxbury warehouse as detention facility, New Jersey advocates say

What is happening at the Roxbury warehouse

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been using a commercial warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey, to hold undocumented immigrants despite a federal court order barring the site from being turned into a detention centre.

Advocacy coalition Project No ICE in North Jersey Alliance, known as Project NINJA, submitted evidence to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office showing that federal agents held a man arrested during a raid in nearby Dover at the warehouse on 4 September. Relatives received a telephone call from the man stating he was being held in a facility that felt like a jail or prison while a transport vehicle was spotted entering and exiting the Roxbury property. He was later moved to an ICE facility in Elizabeth.

A deported Honduran national told reporters that he and nine other men were taken to the Roxbury warehouse following his arrest on 4 September before being transferred to a permanent facility once he signed deportation paperwork.

What the court order allows

The U.S. District Court previously issued a consent order restricting ICE to basic maintenance and security operations at the Roxbury warehouse pending an environmental assessment. The order was intended to block the Department of Homeland Security from converting the building into a long-term detention centre.

Legal counsel for Project NINJA, David Broderick, informed the state attorney general that using the building as a short-term holding facility violates the mandate even if no structural alterations have taken place. Broderick stated that ICE is using the property as a de facto transfer hub to assist regional operations in northern New Jersey.

The New Jersey Attorney General's Office confirmed it is reviewing accounts of ICE activity at the site. A spokesperson for the office said authorities would take all necessary steps to address any non-compliance with a court order. More than 7,200 letters from local residents have been sent to state officials demanding an investigation and physical inspection of the property.

How DHS has responded

The Department of Homeland Security declined to answer direct questions about whether individuals are being held at the Roxbury warehouse. In a written response, the department stated that it maintains strict operational standards and noted that detainees retain the choice to leave custody by accepting deportation.

The usage comes amid a broader expansion of federal immigration detention. Official figures show the number of individuals held in ICE custody reached 73,000 in early 2026, up from 40,000 at the start of 2025. Congress allocated $45 billion to expand detention capacity toward a target of 100,000 beds.

While former Justice Department official Andrew Mergen noted that DHS might argue temporary holding does not constitute a formal conversion under the terms of the consent order, campaign groups maintain the practice breaches both the text and intent of the court ruling.