TRENTON—State legislation that would prohibit state and local agencies from employing former ICE agents sits in committee with no vote scheduled, as Republican officials in Morris County actively oppose a planned federal detention facility.

Assembly Bill A-4302, which would ban former ICE agents from state jobs for three years after their federal service ends, shares the Assembly Oversight Committee docket with companion measures targeting detention operations. The inaction in Trenton contrasts with the federal facility timeline: ICE plans to execute its Roxbury renovation contract by March 31 with completion within 90 days.

The current legislative push follows a decade of contraction in New Jersey's immigration detention infrastructure. The state housed ICE detainees at the Elizabeth Detention Center and Hudson County Correctional Center from the 1990s to 2021. Hudson County terminated its contract with ICE in November of 2021, after generating $20.5 million annually at peak occupancy and the county receiving $120 per detainee per day. Essex County also ended its ICE contract in August 2021. These closures left New Jersey without active ICE detention facilities until the recent federal expansion plans.

The ICE employment ban carries primary sponsorship from Assembly members Ravi Bhalla (D-32), Annette Quijano (D-20), Katie Brennan (D-32), and Alixon Collazos-Gill (D-27), with cosponsorship from Yvonne Lopez (D-19)

A-4300 creates a 50 percent tax on gross receipts of private detention facilities holding government contracts. The measure establishes an Immigrant Protection Fund directing revenue to immigration legal services. The bill passed the Assembly Public Safety Committee with a 4-2 vote and awaits Appropriations Committee review.  

A-4301 authorizes state and local law enforcement to access crime scenes and evidence, making it a criminal offense for any person, including federal officers, to block such access. The measure responds to a Minneapolis incident where ICE blocked local law enforcement from a workplace raid. Both bills were referred to the Assembly Oversight Committee on February 19.

The legislative package coincides with federal plans to convert a 470,000 square foot warehouse in Roxbury into an ICE detention center. The facility would house 1,500 to 2,000 immigration detainees with 1,000 ICE staff. The state's lawsuit contends that current plumbing includes four toilets, one urinal and five wash basins for the entire structure. ICE stated it evaluated use of existing facilities to minimize environmental impacts, and that it plans extensive renovations. The site sits in the Highlands region, which provides drinking water for 70 percent of New Jersey residents, and would multiply wastewater discharge 15 times the approved limit according to the state's lawsuit.

The all-Republican Roxbury Township Council passed Resolution 2026-029 unanimously opposing the facility. Mayor Shawn Potillo (R) commended Governor Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport for joining the township's lawsuit against ICE. Senator Anthony Bucco (R) stated the township has been united in opposition from day one. The community of 23,000 residents voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2024, making the GOP-state alliance against the federal facility a departure from partisan alignment on immigration enforcement.

Federal authorities have challenged the legislative package and litigation. ICE spokesperson Lindsay O'Connor stated the case is not about the environment but about stopping President Trump from making America safe again. O'Connor claimed “the left” ignored environmental damage from border crossings during the Biden administration. DHS stated in February that New Jersey politicians through sanctuary policies protect criminals including murderers and terrorists. The state and federal governments have previously clashed over immigration enforcement, with a federal lawsuit against Sherrill's Executive Order 12 pending court action.

Sources 

• New Jersey Legislature, Assembly Bills 4300, 4301, 4302 (February 19, 2026)

• New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, "State of New Jersey v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security" (March 20, 2026)

• Legiscan Legislative Tracking Database, "NJ A4302 - 2025-2026 Regular Session" (March 22, 2026)

• NJ Monitor, "Bill Package Aims to Thwart ICE Operations in New Jersey" (March 20, 2026)

• NJ.com, "NJ Sues to Block ICE Detention Facility in Morris County" (March 20, 2026)

• NJ Spotlight News, "NJ Sues to Block ICE Detention Facility in Roxbury" (March 20, 2026)

• ABC 7 NY, "New Jersey Sues ICE Over Planned Detention Facility in Roxbury" March 20, 2026)

• Jersey Vindicator, "New Jersey Lawmakers Propose Three Bills to Counter Trump Immigration Policies" (February 19, 2026)

• Gothamist, "New Jersey Sues to Block ICE Detention Center in Roxbury" (March 20, 2026)

• Documented NY, "Hudson County, NJ to End ICE Detention Contract" (November 1, 2021)

• Detention Watch Network, "Elizabeth Detention Center History"

• Freedom for Immigrants, "Elizabeth Detention Center Timeline" (2021)

• NJ 101.5, "Bill Package Would Thwart ICE Operations in New Jersey" (February 19, 2026)

• New Jersey Hills, "Roxbury Mayor Vows Legal Action Against ICE Facility" (March 2026)