After days of confusion, Roxbury officials say ICE bought warehouse

After a week of mixed messages from the federal government, officials in Roxbury, N.J., said late Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) purchased a warehouse located in the township.

“It is with profound disappointment that we must inform our residents that [ICE] has closed on the property from Dalfen Industrial within Roxbury Township,” Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo and the Township Council said in a press release. “The township previously, and unanimously, provided its opposition to a detention center via resolution. Over the past eight weeks, the township remained vigilant in pursuing every fact-based and lawful avenue available to prevent this outcome.”

Roxbury officials, who said they have not heard from federal agencies, continued:

“The council and our legal team have been preparing to pursue all available legal remedies. We are ready to challenge this matter in court and will act swiftly and aggressively to stop the development of a detention center in Roxbury. Critical issues – including infrastructure capacity, easements, significant environmental constraints and intermunicipal agreements – must be fully examined and weighed through the proper legal process.”

The 474,000-square-foot warehouse, previously owned by Dalfen Industrial, is located at 1879 Route 46. The property, according to The Washington Post, will be part of a larger plan to house 80,000 individuals across the country in warehouses that have been converted into holding facilities.

There was no word on how much ICE paid for the property as of Friday night and ICE did not reply to an email late Friday afternoon seeking comment on the matter.

Multiple retractions

The purchase comes two days after ICE erroneously told Gothamist, a New York City-based news site, that the agency had purchased the Roxbury facility.

“ICE has not purchased a facility in Roxbury, New Jersey,” ICE announced via email, after telling Gothamist it had. “That [previous] statement was sent without proper approval, and this mistake has since been rectified.”

The same thing happened in the Village of Chester in Orange County, N.Y. On Friday, Feb. 13, ICE announced it had purchased a warehouse only to retract that statement days later.

A similar mix-up occurred in Lebanon, Tenn. this week, according to regional news outlets.

Like Roxbury, officials in Chester say the village lacks the infrastructure to house large numbers of detainees and there has been no communication from the federal government.