Residents of Roxbury, a suburban community in New Jersey, are pushing back against plans to convert a massive warehouse into a detention facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown.
The proposed site — a 500,000-square-foot logistics hub with multiple truck loading docks — was built to store goods, not house detainees. Protest organiser William Angus described the plan as inappropriate, arguing that commercial warehouses are unsuitable for human detention.
Rising Immigration Arrests, Growing Detention Needs
A surge in immigration arrests across the United States has increased demand for holding facilities. ICE has reportedly acquired or leased at least eight similar warehouse-style properties in states including Texas and Pennsylvania. However, public backlash has forced the agency to reconsider some locations.
In Roxbury — about 40 miles west of New York City — roughly 500 demonstrators gathered this week, waving signs reading “Not a jail town” and “ICE out of our neighbourhood.” Notably, the suburb supported Trump in the 2024 election, making the protests a significant local development.
The Republican-led town council has passed a symbolic resolution opposing the potential ICE detention centre, citing infrastructure concerns and community impact.
Human Rights Debate Intensifies
Data from the American Immigration Council shows that immigration detention facilities nearly doubled during Trump’s second term in 2025. The organisation has raised concerns about overcrowding, health conditions, and detainee deaths.
While ICE insists facilities will meet required standards after conversion, critics argue that turning warehouses into detention hubs reflects a broader expansion of aggressive immigration enforcement.
As opposition grows, Roxbury has become a flashpoint in the national debate over U.S. immigration policy and the future of ICE detention expansion.
