Roxbury, CT Lawsuit: May 2026 Stipulation and Claims Filed

The lawsuit over the ICE detention center planned for Roxbury, New Jersey is still open and has not settled. The State of New Jersey and the Township of Roxbury sued the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in March 2026 to block conversion of a 470,000-square-foot warehouse at 1879 Route 46 into a facility holding up to 1,500 immigration detainees. In May 2026, the federal government agreed to pause construction and complete an environmental assessment it had skipped, and the case has been quiet on the docket since.¹

Where the Case Stands Now

The case is State of New Jersey v. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, No. 2:26-cv-02884, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.² There has been no ruling on the merits and no settlement.

On May 19, 2026, Magistrate Judge James B. Clark granted the federal defendants a stay of their responsive pleading and ordered both sides to file a joint status report by July 20, 2026, with further updates every 60 days until the agency issues a new decision. The amicus brief filed by a coalition of ten environmental and community groups was terminated as moot the same day. No docket activity has been recorded since.¹

What the May 2026 Stipulation Did

The plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on April 7, 2026, aiming to stop construction before DHS began work scheduled for late May.³ Before the court ruled, the parties settled the immediate dispute with a joint stipulation. On May 12, 2026, Judge Jamel K. Semper signed an order staying consideration of the injunction motion.¹

Under the agreement, the federal government will conduct an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act before proceeding with any construction to convert the warehouse into a detention facility.⁴ During the review, the government may still do limited work at the site, including installing fencing, security cameras, and fire-safety monitoring systems.⁵

Once the assessment is complete, the parties must confer within seven days and file a joint status report proposing a schedule for further proceedings, which could include amended complaints or renewed motions for injunctive relief.⁴ A lawyer working with the opposition estimated the environmental review would delay the project by six months to a year.⁶

What the Lawsuit Claims

The 67-page complaint, filed March 20, 2026, names ICE, DHS, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. It alleges violations of four federal statutes:⁷

The Administrative Procedure Act, because the siting decision was allegedly arbitrary and capricious and ignored impacts on local infrastructure, public health, and the environment.
The National Environmental Policy Act, because DHS never prepared an Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment.
The Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, because the federal government did not coordinate with state and local officials on a project with significant community impact.
The Immigration and Nationality Act, because the warehouse is allegedly not an “appropriate” place of detention, lacking the infrastructure for human habitation and violating local zoning and building codes. At the time of purchase, the building had four toilets, one urinal, and five wash basins.

The plaintiffs ask the court to vacate the decision to establish the facility and to permanently enjoin further construction.

Why Roxbury Sued

DHS purchased the warehouse in February 2026 for approximately $129 million and planned to finalize renovation contracts by the end of March, complete construction within 90 days, and begin operations as early as June 2026.⁸⁷ The planned 1,500-detainee, 1,000-staff operation would land in a township of about 23,000 people served by 42 police officers, a volunteer fire department, and two ambulances.

The complaint says converting the building would push wastewater production to more than 15 times the site’s current approved limit, risking sewage overflows into Lake Musconetcong and Lake Hopatcong. The site sits in the Highlands region, which supplies roughly 70 percent of New Jersey’s drinking water, and the plaintiffs argue the facility’s water demand could reduce pressure for residents and impair firefighting.⁹¹⁰

The complaint also projects nearly 500 additional vehicle trips during the morning rush on a stretch of Route 46 near the Interstate 80 interchange that has a history of fatal crashes, and estimates a loss of roughly $1.8 million in annual property tax revenue because the federal government does not pay local property taxes.⁸¹⁰

What Happens Next

The next real signal will come from the joint status reports the court has ordered. If the Environmental Assessment finds significant impacts, or if the government tries to resume construction without completing it, the plaintiffs have said they will return to court to seek immediate relief.¹¹ A parallel case offers one data point on how courts have treated similar projects: in March 2026, a federal judge in Maryland issued a temporary restraining order pausing a similar warehouse-to-detention-center conversion in Williamsport, citing environmental concerns.¹²

1
Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. State of New Jersey v. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
2
CourtListener. State of New Jersey v. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
3
NJ Office of the Attorney General. New Jersey, Roxbury Township Seek Injunction to Block ICE Detention Facility
4
New Jersey Monitor. Joint Stipulation to Stay Adjudication of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction
5
New Jersey Monitor. Roxbury ICE Jail Court
6
NJ Spotlight News. Roxbury ICE Detention Center on Hold for Environmental Review
7
NJ Office of the Attorney General. Complaint, State of New Jersey v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
8
New Jersey Monitor. NJ, Roxbury Sue Trump, ICE Over Warehouse
9
NJ Office of the Attorney General. Governor Sherrill, Attorney General Davenport, Roxbury Township Sue ICE, DHS Over Plans to Convert Warehouse Into Mass Detention Facility
10
State of New Jersey. Governor Sherrill, Attorney General Davenport, Roxbury Township Sue ICE, DHS
11
State Impact Center. New Jersey AG Filed Lawsuit Against DHS and ICE Over Alleged Legal Violations in Conversion of Warehouse to Immigration Detention Facility
12
Washington Post. ICE Warehouse Detention Center Lawsuit