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Roxbury council says federal purchase limits local control as residents protest proposed detention facility
Summary
Deputy Mayor Mark Crowley told the Township Council that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchased a nearby property and that federal supremacy limits local tools to block its use; residents at the meeting urged town leaders to keep opposing the proposed detention facility and raised ethics concerns about the Township Attorney.
Deputy Mayor Mark Crowley told the Township Council on March 3 that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has purchased a property in Roxbury from Dalfen Industrial and Goldman Sachs and that the purchase constrains local authority.
"Last week, the Mayor, Councilman Rilee, and I participated in a brief call with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, during which they confirmed to Roxbury Township that they have purchased the property directly from Dalfen Industrial and Goldman Sachs," Crowley said, explaining that federal ownership subjects the project to limits under the Supremacy Clause that local ordinance changes or moratoria cannot overcome.
Crowley said the Township is continuing to pursue options in opposition. He told the council the Township has engaged state officials and legal counsel: Township Attorney Anthony Bucco met with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General to discuss collaborative strategies, and the Township has received a letter from the New Jersey Office of Legislative Services concluding there is no statutory bar to Bucco serving simultaneously as Township Attorney and as a state senator.
Crowley also said lawmakers have sought to restrict federal spending for this use: he named U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Andy Kim as sponsors of legislation intended to prohibit use of federal funds to buy warehouses for conversion to detention facilities, and said U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill has expressed formal opposition to the proposal.
Members of the public used the meeting's public-comment period to press the council for more aggressive action. Susannah Ollivierre of Landing questioned potential conflicts of interest and the timing of Township proclamations. Other speakers raised human-rights and safety concerns and urged transparency and outside legal review. Sierra Wilson of Village Green Apartments described documented abuses in immigration detention facilities and asked the council to consider humanitarian implications.
Some speakers disputed the council's legal framing. Andrew Sprung of South Orange argued that local regulatory tools might still be available to impede a conversion. Guy Citron of Tewksbury requested documentation to support public statements and ethics determinations.
There were no formal votes on the matter at the March 3 meeting. Crowley said the Township will continue to "explore every available avenue in opposition to the establishment of a federal detention facility," and emphasized that the Township's stated priority is "the safety and protection of our residents and resources." The council adjourned at 9:11 p.m.
