New Jersey Questions Reported $31.8 Million ICE Contract for Roxbury Warehouse

New Jersey and Roxbury Township are seeking answers about a reported $31.8 million federal contract tied to plans for an immigration detention center at a warehouse in Morris County.

Project Salt Box reported that contractor SK2 LLC received an order to renovate the ICE-owned Roxbury property into a processing and detention center. The report cited federal contracting records and a person familiar with the award.

In a Friday court filing, the state and township said federal lawyers had told them that the Department of Homeland Security had decided to move forward with a detention center. The filing said money had been obligated for maintenance, design and the environmental review of the preferred plan.

The contract record itself contains conflicting location details, referring to San Antonio in its description and Newark as the place of performance. Project Salt Box said its source identified the work as the Roxbury warehouse. DHS lawyers could not confirm the contract to the state, according to the filing.

A May court agreement bars conversion of the property until an environmental review is completed. The state has asked DHS for the contract and said a conversion deal could raise concerns about compliance with that order. The report does not establish that construction has begun or that the court restriction has been lifted.