Statement from Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport
Statement from Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport |
| “Today the New York Times is reporting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is backing down on its mass detention center in Roxbury. That is a big win for public safety, for the township of Roxbury, and for New Jersey.
“DHS’s plans were always illegal: the Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for packages, not thousands of people, and did nothing to make New Jersey safer. In fact, we told them it would have devastating impacts on the water and sewage systems, and compromise an environmentally sensitive area. That’s why we joined the town of Roxbury in court and stopped this detention center from moving forward in the first place. “This isn’t a partisan issue and we're grateful for our partnership with the Roxbury community as we keep DHS’s feet to the fire to ensure this facility is never opened.” The about face by the feds is not really surprising. Township officials had said that Markwayne Mullin, the new Homeland Security Director, was less likely to push the plan through than his predecessor, Kristi Noem. "Great news for the township and its residents," said Anthony M. Bucco, the township attorney. This was quite the headache for Bucco, who is also Senate Minority Leader. Despite the township's opposition to the ICE center off of Route 46, many protesters accused Bucco of being in conflict of interest. That was because he was both town attorney and a state senator. The recent move by ICE may put that criticism to bed. More broadly, it's a great relief to the all-Republican council, which had been in the position of fighting - and even suing - a Republican Administration in Washington. That suit may now become moot. |
