Roxbury NJ Warehouse — ICE Regional Processing Center
Overview
DHS purchased a 470,000-square-foot warehouse at 1879 Route 46 in Roxbury, New Jersey for use as an immigrant processing center. Newly detained individuals would be held before transfer to other facilities.
Key Details
- Address: 1879 Route 46, Roxbury, NJ
- Property size: 470,000 sq ft
- Facility type: Regional processing center (one of 16)
- Function: Initial processing before transfer to detention facilities
Financial Details (More Perfect Union, April 2026)
- Purchase price: $129.3 million
- Overpayment: 137% over estimated market value (per Project Salt Box)
- Prior owner: Goldman Sachs was the former majority owner of this vacant industrial warehouse
- Goldman Sachs has extensive Trump administration ties: Gary Cohn (NEC Director, first term), Steve Mnuchin (Treasury Secretary, first term), plus second-term appointments
Legal Challenge
New Jersey Governor Sherrill, Attorney General Davenport, and Roxbury Township filed a joint lawsuit against ICE and DHS over plans to convert the warehouse into a mass detention facility.
Staffing and Infrastructure
- Planned staff: ~1,000 employees
- Known infrastructure: Only 4 toilets in current configuration (for up to 1,500 detainees)
- Renovation contract: Federal government planned to execute by end of March 2026, completion within 90 days, potentially opening June 2026
Political Dynamics
The facility has sparked bipartisan backlash in New Jersey, described by critics as the work of “an agency out of control.” This opposition crosses party lines in a state that also faces military base detention plans at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Key organizers include Tom Kelleher (Mount Olive/Roxbury Visibility Brigade) and William Angus (No ICE Northern Jersey Alliance). The entire NJ Democratic congressional delegation mobilized against the facility. See roxbury-nj-lawsuit for full legal fight details.