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

Urgent: Concrete Action Plan Needed to Stop Roxbury ICE Detention Facility Dear Governor Sherrill, As a New Jersey resident, I want to thank you for signing Executive Order No. 12 and launching the resident reporting portal. These are vital steps toward protecting our neighbors from overreach on state property. The DHS statement that they purchased the warehouse at 1879 Route 46 in Roxbury, while refuted by the Township and the owners, demands a more aggressive, specific strategy. It may still yet be purchased and the window to stop it is getting ever narrower.  We need a concrete action plan that goes beyond limiting the use of state property. I am asking you to follow the precedents set by Governors in New York and Pennsylvania by publicly pledging to: • Withhold Infrastructure Permits: Direct the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and other relevant agencies to deny or delay any utility, sewage, or environmental permits required to convert industrial warehouses into human detention centers. • Launch Litigation Strategies: Direct the Attorney General’s office to develop a litigation plan to challenge the purchase of the Roxbury property, specifically investigating if federal acquisition violates state land-use laws or environmental regulations. • Coordinate Agency Resistance: Ensure every state agency is working in lockstep to create an environment where these facilities are legally and logistically impossible to operate. New Jerseyans have seen the failures of Delaney Hall and the Elizabeth Detention Center. We cannot allow another moral stain on our state. I look forward to hearing your specific plan to stop the Roxbury facility and any future expansion of ICE in New Jersey.