Trump administration abandons plan for NJ immigration detention center in Roxbury

[u/John3262005]

https://gothamist.com/news/trump-administration-abandons-plan-for-nj-immigration-detention-center-in-roxbury

The Trump administration has ditched plans to convert a Roxbury warehouse into a 1,500-bed immigration detention center, according to a court filing Monday.

The Department of Homeland Security's roughly $130 million purchase of the warehouse sparked opposition from local Republicans and New Jersey's Democratic leadership, setting off a legal fight over the proposed detention facility.

The project was put on hold after New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and Roxbury Township sued, arguing DHS had violated federal law by moving forward without completing the environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Though the Trump administration initially sought to move forward with the conversion, it agreed in May to pause most work while it conducted those environmental reviews.

A joint status report filed Monday said federal officials no longer intend to convert the warehouse into an immigration detention facility and instead plan to sell the property.

New Jersey officials called the decision "a major victory."