ICE Detention Allegations at the Roxbury Warehouse in New Jersey

In early October 2026, immigration agents raided Dover, New Jersey, and residents reported detainees were taken to a warehouse in nearby Roxbury. Witnesses saw masked agents loading people into vans and driving them to the warehouse’s secluded road. One detainee later recounted being handcuffed in the parking lot with nine other men before being transferred to a traditional detention facility.

NPR

During the Trump administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purchased 11 warehouses for a planned ICE detention network, spending roughly a billion dollars. Court orders later barred conversion of several sites, including the Roxbury location, pending environmental impact assessments. The plan faced protests and lawsuits citing environmental concerns.

NPR

• Approximately 100,000 ICE arrests occurred nationwide in July and August 2026.

NPR

• DHS acquired 11 warehouses for detention purposes.

NPR

• The government spent about a billion dollars on the warehouse conversion program.

NPR

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on whether the Roxbury warehouse is being used for detention, but reiterated its standard statement that DHS upholds strict detention standards and that immigrants may leave detention by being deported.

NPR

Harvard professor Andrew Mergen said ICE is “cleverly eliding” the intent of the court order by using the space “in furtherance of detention.” Council Member Sandra Wittner called the situation “infuriating” and urged a state investigation.

NPR

Local residents reported a surge of ICE activity in the summer, with rumors of vehicles convoying to the warehouse. A Dover woman filmed the raid and followed a convoy to the warehouse road, noting two vehicles circling her before departing. Another resident received a call from her father, who said he was handcuffed and taken to the warehouse, where he spent several hours with other detainees before being transferred. Community members described the atmosphere as “intimidating” and expressed fear of retaliation.

NPR

A government contractor anonymously claimed that Stephen Miller opposed “humane” facilities and wanted “cruel” conditions, while the White House labeled those statements “defamatory.” DHS has not confirmed whether detainees are being held at the site, and no independent verification beyond eyewitness accounts has been provided.

NPR

• “It very quickly became an absolute boondoggle," says Michael Wriston, a former military intelligence analyst who co-founded Project SaltBox, a watchdog group that tracks ICE's expansion.” — Michael Wriston, former military intelligence analyst

NPR

• “These locations are very critical to ICE's deportation agenda," says Wriston, "because they fill in the gap in places where ICE does not have a robust detention network.” — Michael Wriston

NPR

State attorneys general are pursuing investigations into the Roxbury warehouse, and local activists are urging congressional oversight visits to assess the site’s use. DHS has not offered a timeline for responding to these inquiries.

NPR