ICE detention – Neighbors and families report that a controversial federal warehouse in New Jersey is being used for immigrant detention, despite existing court orders intended to halt such activity.
The quiet road off Route 46 in Roxbury, New Jersey, was supposed to remain dormant. Court orders had effectively barred the federal government from converting the local warehouse into a detention facility until environmental assessments were completed. But for those living nearby, the reality on the ground feels far removed from the legal proceedings.
On the morning of September 4, the atmosphere in neighboring Dover shifted instantly. Masked immigration agents carried out a series of raids. sending residents into hiding and fueling reports that the nearby Roxbury site—a facility purchased by the Department of Homeland Security in early 2026—was active. One man. who was detained during the operation. told of being taken directly to the Roxbury warehouse. where he was held in the parking lot alongside nine other men while handcuffed.
His account aligns with observations from a local resident who trailed a transport vehicle from the site of the Dover raid to the woodsy road leading to the warehouse. She described being circled and filmed by occupants of a white Dodge Durango and a black Tahoe. an experience she characterized as deeply intimidating. Dover Councilmember Sandra Wittner. who has gathered accounts from those impacted. notes that the timeline of the September 4 enforcement activity fits the transit window for the warehouse site.
The Department of Homeland Security spent nearly a billion dollars to acquire 11 warehouses nationwide for its mass deportation efforts. An official from a government contracting firm approached for the conversion work alleged that the administration’s directives were clear: the facilities were intended to be harsh. According to the contractor. his team was told that advisor Stephen Miller specifically rejected humane. FEMA-style camp designs in favor of conditions that were meant to be “cruel” and “painful.” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis dismissed these allegations as “false hearsay. ” stating that Miller never made such remarks.
While the administration has since put several of these properties up for sale following the departure of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. sites in Maryland. Arizona. and New Jersey remain in federal hands. These locations fill critical gaps in the government’s deportation infrastructure where local jail partnerships are non-existent. Project NINJA. a local advocacy coalition. argues that the current use of the site circumvents the spirit of the ongoing environmental litigation.
Harvard Professor Andrew Mergen notes that the government appears to be relying on a legal distinction. arguing they are not “converting” the facility while still utilizing the footprint for detention operations. It is a technicality that offers little comfort to the families of those detained. In the empty diners and quiet streets of Dover, the questions persist. As Councilmember Wittner put it. the community is left demanding an immediate oversight visit. while the fear of what happens behind those warehouse walls keeps the streets deserted.
ICE Roxbury New Jersey immigration detention DHS Stephen Miller deportation