New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the federal government's latest reversal on plans to convert a North Jersey warehouse into an ICE detention center is nonsensical and doesn't change the fact that a court has stayed work on the project.
" The court has told them basically that they can't move forward on this right now. It makes no sense," Sherrill told Gothamist following an unrelated bill signing Monday.
She reiterated that state and local leaders maintain bipartisan opposition to the Trump administration's plans for a 1,500-bed detention center in Roxbury. The Trump administration paid nearly $130 million for the warehouse earlier this year.
The state and Roxbury sued earlier this year to block the effort, arguing that the Department of Homeland Security's plan would violate federal environmental laws. Most work has been halted since May while environmental reviews are conducted. The case remains pending.
"They overpaid for it, and now they're caught holding the bag, and they're upset," Sherrill said. "It turns out when you do stupid things, you lose in court, and that's just what happened."
Federal lawyers said in a June 29 court filing that DHS intended to sell the warehouse rather than convert it into an immigration detention facility. But later that same day, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin posted on social media that the department remained committed to the project.
"DHS will NEVER back down," Mullin wrote. "We will be keeping this site for a detention center."
Federal lawyers reversed course in a court filing Friday, saying DHS officials had informed them the agency had reconsidered its earlier position.
The filing reads, "Upon reconsideration, the agency intends to move forward with plans to consider the retrofitting of the Roxbury Township warehouse facility for use as a detention facility," while noting agency deliberations remain ongoing.
Sherrill stressed that the latest filing does not change the facts on the ground or the state's position.
"They can't build despite them saying they're going to keep fighting this. Go ahead," Sherrill said. "We are just going to keep governing and delivering good government for the people of New Jersey despite the chaos from Washington."
