The Trump administration is moving forward with converting two additional warehouses into immigration detention centers. This comes after Homeland Security already purchased 11 warehouses across the country.
Transcription
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to turn warehouses into immigration detention centers. One such site is in the town of Roxbury, New Jersey, where a few nights ago neighbors clashed with local leaders.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: We’re not leaving until this place closes. Close…
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Close the gate.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: …This establishment now.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Every door.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Shut it.
MARTIN: The city’s mayor, Shawn Potillo, left the meeting amid all the ruckus. NPR’s Jasmine Garsd was at that town meeting and she reported on the warehouses. And she’s with us now to tell us more. Hello, Jas.
JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: Hello.
MARTIN: So you reported this earlier this year – the plan to buy these warehouses and turn them into detention centers – right?
GARSD: Yeah. Earlier this year, Homeland Security purchased 11 warehouses to convert into ICE detention centers across the country. And that sparked outrage and protests in cities and towns, you know, from coast to coast – in Maryland, in Arizona, in New Jersey. Lawsuits by state attorneys general led DHS to halt the conversion of these warehouses, pending environmental impact assessments. And then a bunch of other warehouses are sold. But just this week, the government indicated it was moving forward with two of the sites. She conducted the environmental assessment in Arizona. And in Roxbury, New Jersey, a contract to convert the site was awarded despite a court order barring DHS from doing so.
MARTIN: So it seems like it was in legal limbo for a few months. Do we have any idea: why relaunch it now?
GARSD: So I contacted Homeland Security. They told me they couldn’t respond due to pending litigation. But, you know, all of this happened immediately after the midterm elections, in which New Jersey went from three Republican members of Congress to one. And so, you know, I think the town of Roxbury represents the broader power struggle that’s coming and this question that Democrats will face when they take office next year: How much can they actually check the power of ICE?
MARTIN: And you’ve been following immigration and reporting on immigration for some time now. What do you think this says about how the Trump administration plans to continue its crackdown on immigration?
GARSD: I mean, look. Days after the midterms, the administration began working to continue this plan to turn warehouses into ICE detention centers. I think this indicates that there is no slowdown in immigration action coming. Meanwhile, in Roxbury, Homeland Security has yet to submit an environmental assessment. Once that happens, local activists and the attorney general could file a lawsuit if they believe it’s lacking. Roxbury neighbors have accused local governance of working to serve homeland security interests. Mayor Shawn Potillo told NPR he is opposed to the project and will continue to pursue legal and political avenues to prevent it from happening.
MARTIN: That’s Jasmine Garsd from NPR. Jasmine, thank you.
GARSD: Thank you.
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