New Jersey Governor Sherrill and Attorney General Davenport Sue DHS Over $129M Roxbury Warehouse Detention Conversion, April 8 Emergency Injunction Motion Cites State-Easement Violation

On March 20, 2026, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Attorney General (Davenport), and Roxbury Township jointly filed suit in federal court against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to block the conversion of a vacant 470,000-square-foot warehouse at 1879 Route 46, Roxbury Township into a 1,500-detainee ICE processing facility. On April 8, 2026 the plaintiffs filed an emergency motion for preliminary injunction.

The Transaction

ICE acquired the Roxbury warehouse in late February 2026 for $129.3 million — reported at 137% over assessed value — from a Goldman Sachs-affiliated entity (Goldman Sachs is identified as the seller in forst-edward’s conflict-of-interest analysis based on his retained Goldman Sachs Management Committee pension and Goldman PE fund positions; the specific selling-LLC structure has not yet been surfaced in public coverage). Per March 2026 filings, ICE planned to execute a retrofit contract by the end of March 2026 with work completed within 90 days, targeting 1,500 detainees plus 1,000 staff.

The State’s Legal Theory

The April 8 emergency-relief filing specifically cites DHS’s plan to conduct construction activities in areas protected by a state-issued conservation easement — as early as late May 2026. This is a distinct legal theory from the NEPA challenge that succeeded at Williamsport MD: rather than federal environmental-review failure, New Jersey argues federal interference with state-law property encumbrances that predate the acquisition.

The complaint further alleges:

1. Inadequate infrastructure. The building is essentially a single concrete-floored room with only four toilets — the same infrastructure defect documented at the Williamsport MD and Roxbury facilities and cited by Judge Brenden Hurson at Williamsport.
2. Inadequate water and sewage. The property lacks capacity for 1,500 detainees and 1,000 ICE staff.
3. Public-safety risk. The site abuts the Route 46 interchange with Interstate 80 — a section with dozens of crashes including three fatalities since 2019.
4. No consultation with state or municipal authorities before purchase.

Why This Matters

1. Third independent legal theory succeeding against WEXMAC-TITUS. Joining federal NEPA (Maryland) and state environmental-permitting authority (Pennsylvania DEP at Tremont and Upper Bern), New Jersey demonstrates state-easement law as a third route to halt WEXMAC-TITUS conversions. Each theory is jurisdiction-dependent but replicable within its jurisdiction.

2. Bipartisan-flavored resistance even in blue states. Though New Jersey is a Democratic state, the Roxbury Township challenge is led by local officials whose motivation is infrastructure and public-safety concerns, not partisan. This parallels the Republican-led successful block at Merrimack NH.

3. Goldman Sachs seller-counterparty and Forst conflict. GSA Administrator forst-edward’s retained Goldman Sachs exposure ($1.8M–$6.1M+ in PE funds, stock, pension, healthcare) creates a direct seller-counterparty conflict with this specific transaction. The Roxbury sale is one of two WEXMAC-TITUS deals (with Williamsport’s Goldman refinancing) in which Goldman is a named counterparty.

Related Entries

• forst-edward — Goldman Sachs seller conflict
• 2026-04-15–judge-halts-williamsport-ice-construction-nepa
• 2026-04-08–ice-appeals-pa-dep-orders-tremont-upper-bern
• 2026-04-17–stateline-dhs-compromises-warehouse-detention-centers
• 2026-02-24–trammell-crow-merrimack-ice-deal-scuttled-ayotte
• 2026-03-29–warren-raskin-letter-52-lawmakers-detention-contractors
• wexmac-titus-warehouse-census

Research Gaps

• Specific federal district-court case number and judge assignment for the March 20 complaint and April 8 emergency motion
• Identity of the Goldman Sachs-affiliated selling LLC for the Roxbury warehouse
• Whether Goldman retained any interest or sold the debt/equity to a successor before the federal acquisition
• The retrofit contractor identity (90-day contract was to be awarded end of March 2026)
• Whether NJ AG filings reference Roxbury-specific NEPA failure (complementing Maryland’s theory) in addition to state easement