Roxbury Township residents pressed their council Tuesday night to say what it would do about a planned immigration detention center on Route 46. As protesters chanted in the meeting room, council members voted to go into closed session and left the public meeting.
The dispute centers on a 470,000-square-foot warehouse that the Department of Homeland Security plans to convert into a detention center. A federal court order restricts work at the property while a dispute over an environmental review continues. In recent court filings, New Jersey attorneys said DHS had confirmed it still intended to pursue the project. The attorneys questioned whether a reported $31.8 million contract for the facility conflicts with the order.
Environmental activist Ben Dziobek raised the issue during the Nov. 10 meeting. “A federal court order is not a suggestion,” he told council members, according to News 12 New Jersey. Police intervened after he refused to leave the podium. Video provided to the station by the Roxbury Township Democrats showed people in the audience chanting “ICE out” and “No action, no peace.”
Roxbury has already sued to stop the project. At an October council meeting, Deputy Mayor Mark Crowley said federal authorities had processed detainees in the warehouse parking lot on Sept. 4 and 8, without taking them inside. He also said DHS had used the building for training. The township sought access to inspect the property, according to Insider NJ.
The No ICE in North Jersey Alliance, also known as Project NINJA, plans to hold a rally against the detention center at noon Saturday, Nov. 14, at Rockaway Mall.
Sources: News 12 New Jersey, Jersey Vindicator, [Insider NJ](https://www.insidernj.com/roxbury-council-admits-ice-rumors-are-
By NJ RADAR Team