LATEST INFO

A new Washington Post report confirmed that the federal government has successfully purchased at least two of the warehouses from their national target list [for locating detention centers], one in Maryland and one in Arizona. This makes the threat more real than ever.

 

We are not going to be joining that list. We are going to ensure Roxbury is the place where this plan stops.

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We want to offer a significant correction to the narrative: The Roxbury Town Council was NOT notified by the DHS. They were notified by us. Our movement was the one to obtain the leaked spreadsheet, sound the alarm, and inform local officials that ICE was planning to visit the facility. We cannot rely on the federal government to be transparent with our community; we have to be our own watchdogs.

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The news isn’t all bad… There are some victories to share. Locals in Oklahoma City, OK, managed to push ICE out of a warehouse deal by bringing attention and pressure to the building’s realtors and owners; they not only protested at the site but also at the realtor’s office! Hanover, VA, applied the same kind of pressure, and won a similar victory. We’re going to replicate that pressure.

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HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We need more than just bodies at protests; we need your skills and your dedication. Whether you are a lawyer, a teacher, a designer, a student, or a retiree–we need you.

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1. Flood Their Inboxes: Send emails!

   • Town Council: HERE is a template and all of the Roxbury town council emails. We have multiple ordinances drafted by our legal support that we want them to pass and we need your help!

   • Warehouse Owners/Brokers: HERE is a template to send to the owners of the warehouse facility, Delfan Industrial and Adler Development and the broker, LaSalle, to urge them not to sell to DHS.

2. Volunteer Your Skills: If you would like to help in any capacity, please reach out. We need researchers, tech help, and outreach support.

3. Join the Safety Team: We specifically need people to fulfill roles on our safety team to keep our actions organized. Sign-up HERE.

4. Rapid Response Training: If you have a venue and would like to host a training locally, please reach out to Cosecha NJ and Pax Christi NJ. Indicate your interest HERE.

5. Roxbury Residents: If you live in town, we specifically want to hear from you. Please email projectninjaadmin@proton.me.

6. Write & Whistle:

   • When: Thursday, 2/5 @ 5-7PM

   • Where: Sparta United Methodist Church, 71 S Sparta Ave, Sparta, NJ 07871

   • What: We’ll be writing postcards Roxbury residents to alert them to the threat of an ICE detention facility in their community and urging them to voice their absolute opposition to their elected officials. In addition, we’ll build "Whistle Kits" for our local Rapid Response Teams.

   • RSVP

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TURN UP THE HEAT ON THE TOWN COUNCIL

We need a consistent, overwhelming presence at every meeting. When the room is packed, the Council knows we aren't going away.

• Sign up for Roxbury Town Council Meetings

• Show Up & Speak Out: Even if you don't live in Roxbury, we encourage you to make statements in Roxbury AND your own local town councils and county commissioner meetings. This is not just a Roxbury issue. ICE expansion impacts the safety and resources of the entire region. Let’s make it clear to every local official in NJ that our communities are united. Don’t know what to say? TOPICS FOR STATEMENTS

• If you know a high school student, faith leader, business owner, etc. we are looking to prioritize demographic groups to give testimonies at each meeting to show we don’t want this from every angle. Contact us!

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OUR DEMANDS

To make sure Roxbury stays safe and focused on our community's needs, we have worked with legal advisors to draft two specific ordinances.

We are submitting these to the Town Council, and we need your voice to ensure they are adopted. Here is the breakdown of what we are asking for and why:

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1. The Emergency Brake: A Moratorium on Private Prisons

Modelled after a successful ordinance in Kansas City, MO, this is our immediate shield.

• The Goal: This puts an immediate "pause" on any and all applications for private prisons.

• The Loophole Closer: Crucially, this moratorium includes variances. This means developers can’t ask for a "special exception" to bypass our standard zoning rules while we work on permanent protections.

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2. The Permanent Ban: "Not a Permitted Use"

Roxbury already prohibits certain types of businesses—like cannabis shops, adult entertainment, and new quarry operations—from opening in town.

• The Goal: This ordinance adds "detention and incarceration facilities" to that list.

• The Logic: If it’s not a "permitted use" in our zoning laws, a developer can’t just walk in and start modifying. It sets a permanent boundary for the future of the land.

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STAY INFORMED & CONNECTED

Follow us for real-time picture and video coverage of our events:

Social Media:

• Project NINJA Facebook group

• Sussex Visibility Brigade (Facebook, Instagram, & Bluesky)

Resources & Press:

• ICE Resources:

  • If you build it, ICE will fill it

  • We don’t need another one: Delaney Hall

  • Rapid Response & Reporting ICE sightings

• Press Coverage:

  • Original Washington Post Article

  • TapInto​

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Thank you to everyone wanting to get involved and help us stop this facility from happening. We hope you stick with us for the journey—because we also hope to keep ICE out of the rest of New Jersey as well.

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In solidarity,

Project NINJA & Sussex Visibility Brigade