"Who do you think in Roxbury is going to die first?"'

That's hardly a normal question at a council meeting, but it came up Tuesday night in this Morris County town.

A little later, things descended even further when an audience member yelled at the township council, "Shut the F.... up."  She was told to leave the podium, but, oddly, not the meeting.

Plans to put an ICE detention center off Route 46 have created all sorts of heretofore unforeseen problems for the all-Republican council..

On one hand, that may seem odd, given the fact the council not only opposes the ICE center, it filed suit, along with the state, to stop it.

To some of the opponents coming to meetings, that means little.

This is where emotion and passion supersede logic. There is really nothing more the township can do, but allow the legal process to work its way out.

A town ordinance, for instance, would have no impact on the federal government.

The attacks, criticism, and occasional curses leveled at the council, nonetheless, are somewhat easy to understand.

The belief is that since all council members are Republicans, their hearts are really not into fighting ICE.

You're not trying hard enough, one person said, a comment that prompted Mayor Shawn Potillo to chuckle. Probably not the best way to deal with the audience.

Close followers of this unfolding - again - saga know that it seemed to be put to bed.

It surfaced last December, prompting public protests and the aforementioned suit. A few weeks ago, the federal Department of Homeland Security actually said they were going to abandon the idea, causing the governor to distribute a delightful press release. More on that later.

Last week, however, plans changed. The feds now say converting the empty warehouse into an ICE center is back on the table.

The mayor read a statement at the start of the meeting reiterating opposition to the plan, but that didn't seem to mollify the 20 or so people in the room.

The question about who would die was prompted by the recent deaths of two men - one in Houston and one in Maine - after encounters with ICE agents.

When the questioner suggested that these potential victims would perhaps be the "wrong color" for the council to care, Potillo shot back angrily, saying, "You don't need to bring race" into the discussion.

Councilman Jim Rilee, a long time member of the governing body, suggested that the change of plans could be - at least partly - the governor's fault.

He noted Mikie Sherrill's statement celebrated the presumed win over ICE, something he called an "anti-Trump dance."

Some in the crowd jeered, but Rilee may be onto something.

After seeing Trump operate in his first, and now his second, term, it's certainly possible the feds changed their plans just to spite and embarrass Sherrill. This would be juvenile behavior to be sure, but then again, look who the town is dealing with.

Amid the provocative questions, tension and the like, a legitimate point was raised.

No one on the council said they have visited Delaney Hall in Newark.

That does seem relevant, given the fact that, broadly speaking, a similar facility may come to Roxbury.

One woman added some color, saying they probably will not be pepper-sprayed if they visit, but then again, she's been pepper-sprayed and it's not that big a deal. Good to know.

Asked afterwards about visiting Delaney Hall, Rilee saw a distinction.

Delaney Hall is privately-run, while the Roxbury center would be run by the feds, he said.

Apples and oranges, one supposes.