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Trump admin paid nearly $130M for NJ warehouse it plans to turn into detention center
By
Mike Hayes
Published Feb 26, 2026
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By
Mike Hayes
Published Feb 26, 2026
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The Trump administration is paying a premium for the warehouse property in Roxbury, New Jersey it plans to use for future immigrant detention centers, property records show.
The Department of Homeland Security is set to pay the property owners, Dalphen Industrial, $129.3 million for the facilities, according to documents filed with the Morris County Clerk’s Office. The records show that the deal was closed on Feb. 19 — three days after Gothamist broke the news that DHS had reached an agreement to purchase the property.
The nine figure purchase price is more than double the 2026 tax assessment on the property of about $62 million, according to county tax records, and marks the latest development in a tumultuous fight between the Republican-controlled North Jersey community and the Trump administration.
Earlier this week, Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo said at a township council meeting that officials are continuing to look for ways to prevent ICE from opening a detention center in their township.
“The township remains firmly opposed to the establishment of a detention facility at this location,” Potillo said. “We have consistently voiced our concerns through public statements, official meetings and direct engagement with our state federal representatives, and we have backed that statement with action.”
Last month, the all-Republican council voted 7-0 to pass a resolution opposing the facility. In a letter announcing the purchase last week, municipal leaders cited concerns such as limited water and sewer capacity, and said the local EMS and fire department weren't structured to take on its demands. Republican state Senate Minority Leader Anthony Bucco, who also serves as Roxbury’s township attorney, opposes the project as well.
Democratic leaders, including Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker, also oppose the project — though primarily on different grounds. In a joint letter with the state's Democratic congressional delegation members, Kim said private detention centers have "no place in New Jersey."
Potillo and Roxbury Township Manager J.J. Murphy did not respond to a request to comment on the sale and price. A Senate spokesperson for Bucco referred all comments to Roxbury Township.
Booker said in a statement that serious questions remain about the impact on local infrastructure and municipal resources that a detention center will have at this facility.
“I toured the warehouse. It is not a place fit to hold human beings,” he said. “As New Jerseyans, we will do everything in our power to prevent [the Trump administration] from turning our communities into places of fear. We will keep caring for our neighbors and standing up for what is right: ICE detention centers have no place in New Jersey.”
Representatives for Dalphen Industrial and DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
David Broderick, an attorney representing activist group No Ice Jails in Northern NJ said he was shocked by the amount that DHS paid the property owners.
“This is an outrageous waste of taxpayer money,” he said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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new jersey
Mike Hayes
Mike Hayes covers equity and access to opportunity in New Jersey. He joined WNYC and Gothamist in 2023. Before that, he worked as a freelance journalist writing about policing and criminal justice. He has written for ProPublica, CNN, HuffPost, BuzzFeed News and The Appeal. He is also the author of the book, “The Secret Files: Bill De Blasio, The NYPD, and the Broken Promises of Police Reform.” In 2019, he was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
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