1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

Community voices are officially entering the legal record. 13 Roxbury residents and 1 Mount Olive resident have submitted impact statements to NJ Appleseed and Earth Justice. These statements will be considered for an upcoming Amicus Brief. What is an Amicus Brief? An amicus curiae (literally "friend of the court") brief is a legal document filed by individuals or organizations who are not direct parties to a lawsuit but have a strong interest in the subject matter. Its Purpose: In the lawsuit against DHS over the Roxbury warehouse, this brief allows our community to provide the court with local expertise and "real-world" consequences that the government might otherwise ignore. It ensures the judge understands how this facility would personally affect the safety, environment, and daily lives of those living nearby. Preliminary Injunction Filed by NJ OAG Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport have officially requested a preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court. [STATEMENT] The Goal: To immediately halt any construction or conversion activities at the warehouse while the lawsuit proceeds. The Deadline: Emergency relief is requested because DHS indicated plans to begin construction as early as late May. Key Arguments: Unsuitable Infrastructure: The facility would house 1,500 detainees and 1,000 staff in a space currently zoned for industrial use with only four toilets and inadequate sewage/water access. Failure to Consult: DHS and ICE bypassed federal laws requiring consultation with state and local officials regarding environmental and community impacts. Financial Waste: ICE has already spent $129 million on the site; the injunction seeks to prevent further waste of taxpayer money on a project that is likely to be ruled unlawful. Where are the upcoming events? We received feedback that the weekly emails combined with upcoming events might be too long to digest and people were missing the events. This is now a separate email that will be sent to you shortly. Thanks for taking action! Read more about Delaney Hall: Jean Wilson Brutus: Died in Delaney Hall after being detained for only a day and with no real answers about his death. [ARTICLE] Smuggled Letter from Detainees: Expecting a visit from Sen. Booker that never came, detainees wrote a letter about the conditions and their experiences in detention that they intended to give to the Senator. Instead, it was smuggled out with another visitor. [READ THE LETTER] As always, we appreciate the support and dedication of this community to helping the immigrants in our communities. With Solidarity, Project NINJA & Sussex Visibility Brigade