NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG LAW) -- The Trump administration is reconsidering plans to convert a New Jersey warehouse into an immigration detention facility, despite previously telling a federal court that the agency abandoned such efforts.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it “intends to move forward with plans to consider the retrofitting” of the warehouse in Roxbury, N.J., according to a notice filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) announced two weeks ago that the agency was “backing down” from establishing the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center on a property the government paid about $129 million to buy from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and real estate investment management firm Dalfen Industrial.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin quickly refuted this claim, stating the agency planned to keep the site for detention purposes in a post on X.com.
According to the court notice filed July 10, “agency deliberations remain ongoing.”
New Jersey had challenged the plans under the National Environmental Policy Act, alleging DHS failed to consider how retrofitting a warehouse to hold up to 1,500 detainees could overwhelm the local wastewater system. The agency agreed to conduct an environmental review before proceeding with major renovations.
The state attorney general’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case is New Jersey v. ICE, D.N.J., No. 2:26-cv-02884, notice submitted 7/10/26.
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