mmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering expanding its capacity to detain immigrants in New Jersey by adding 600 beds across at least two facilities. This information emerged from documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) through a lawsuit.
This potential expansion comes as the incoming administration of Donald Trump has committed to mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, a move that experts believe would necessitate a significant increase in the nation’s detention facilities. Interestingly, the proposal for expansion began during President Joe Biden’s administration.
The ACLU’s records, acquired from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in September, indicate that the facilities under review include the Elizabeth Detention Center and the Albert M. “Bo” Robinson Center in Trenton. The Elizabeth facility, located near Newark airport, currently accommodates up to 300 detainees, many of whom are asylum seekers. Meanwhile, the Trenton center, which previously housed state prisoners until 2022, has a capacity of 1,000 beds.
Concerns have been raised by the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, which fears that New Jersey could become a focal point for Trump’s mass deportation and detention plans, impacting nearby communities in New York City and Philadelphia.
The ACLU noted that the documents provided by ICE offer limited insight into the detention plans, primarily including environmental impact statements from private prison companies CoreCivic Inc. and GEO Group.
Currently, the Elizabeth center is New Jersey’s sole operational detention facility. Amy Torres, executive director of the justice alliance, urged President Biden to use his remaining time in office to prevent any expansion of detention facilities. “Without action, this will be his legacy,” she stated, emphasizing that Biden would be enabling future administrations to build upon these detention infrastructures.
ICE manages or contracts over 190 detention facilities nationwide. In Pennsylvania alone, there are three: Moshannon Valley Processing Center, Clinton County Correctional Facility, and Pike County Correctional Facility. The Berks County detention center closed last year following years of lawsuits and protests.
New Jersey is home to approximately 440,000 undocumented migrants, with an additional 153,000 residing in Pennsylvania. The ACLU’s records were linked to a federal solicitation for additional ICE detention space near Newark issued in June. However, it remains unclear if other facilities in New Jersey responded to this request.
Ami Kachalia from ACLU-NJ called on the Biden administration to immediately halt any expansion plans. She highlighted that while there may be plans for 600 new beds now, there is a real possibility of a much larger expansion under Trump’s administration.
In 2021, New Jersey’s legislature banned immigrant detention centers; however, this law was later deemed unconstitutional and remains under litigation. Eunice Cho, a senior attorney at ACLU’s National Prison Project, criticized the Biden administration for facilitating conditions that would allow Trump’s mass deportation agenda to flourish. “The Biden administration must work to close these facilities now,” she asserted.
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