ICE Plans New Detention Center In Mercer. 'Unacceptable' Says Watson Coleman

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has plans to build a detention facility in Trenton, Mercer County.

The ACLU of New York learned about the plan after it obtained documents through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed in September.

ICE wants to expand detentions in the Garden State by seeking more space at the Albert M. “Bo” Robinson Center (ARC) in Trenton, which was formerly owned by the GEO Group, Inc., the ACLU found.

The facility has a significant record of poor conditions. Investigations of conditions at ARC exposed abusive conditions including “robbery, sexual assault, [and] menacing of the weak.”

Also in consideration is a new facility in Elizabeth. Together, ICE plans facilities with approximately 600 beds.

Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) released a statement on Monday calling the development “infuriating.”

“The recent news that ICE is planning to use Trenton as a staging ground for mass deportations is infuriating. As a historic crossroads of the American Revolution, Trenton has a long legacy of resisting tyranny and oppression. New Jersey has always been a home for freedom-loving people working hard to make the best possible life for their families,” Watson Coleman said.

“Immigrant Americans move here for the promise of freedoms that we all - Black or white, Latino or Asian, Native or newcomer, cherish. But today, Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans stoke fear against new immigrants to distract us from their agenda, which threatens to raise prices, make cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and let corporations gouge prices.”

For months, advocates and the ACLU of New Jersey have raised concerns with the Biden administration’s plans to expand detention in New Jersey.

“Instead of closing abusive detention facilities once and for all, the Biden administration is simply paving the way for the incoming Trump administration to conduct mass detention and deportation of immigrant communities nationwide,” Eunice Cho, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU’s National Prison Project said in a statement. “The Biden administration must instead work to close these facilities now.”

The discovery by the ACLU comes as President-elect Donald Trump continues to double down on his campaign promise to implement the largest mass deportation and detention program in U.S. history.

Watson Coleman, who represents Trenton in Congress, has called on elected leaders to reject the plan and prevent “everyday people” from becoming scapegoats.

“New Jerseyans have worked hard to create a safe and welcoming state where anyone who works hard to create a better life can call home,” Watson Coleman said.

“This proposal is unacceptable and runs counter to New Jersey values. I reject it and call on community leaders, the Governor, and President Biden to reject it and get to work on creating a fair immigration process that respects all families.”

In the past, several local and state officials have opposed the expansion of ICE detention.

Earlier this year, eight Representatives and Sen. Cory Booker raised concern regarding the development of additional private ICE detention facilities in the state.

New Jersey also passed AB 5207 in 2021, which prohibited state and local entities and private detention facilities from entering, renewing, or expanding immigration detention contracts.

CoreCivic, Inc., and GEO Group, Inc. filed suit to stop enforcement of the law, which has been enjoined pending appeal.

“New Jersey has already taken steps to oppose immigrant detention by phasing out ICE contracts and closing county-run ICE jails. But as federal plans to expand detention in New Jersey continue, the need for protections grows by the day. That’s why it’s imperative that the Biden administration immediately halt any efforts to expand this abusive detention machine,” ACLU-NJ campaign strategist Ami Kachalia said in a statement.

“We also urge the New Jersey Legislature to quickly pass the Immigrant Trust Act so that New Jersey is not complicit in separating families or depriving our residents of due process.”

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