Immigration and Customs Enforcement has purchased a warehouse in Morris County to serve as an immigration processing facility, despite opposition from local leaders.

The community and local leaders have been against this plan since it was announced earlier this year.

Roxbury officials previously said that the town did not have the water, sewage or public safety resources for a detention center. The Roxbury Town Council passed a unanimous resolution to oppose the plan.

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. railed against the decision in a post on Facebook.

“ICE told the public earlier this week that it had not purchased a warehouse in Roxbury, and now we learn from the township’s mayor and council that the agency has closed on the property and will move forward with an immigration detention warehouse for up to 1,500 people. That kind of bait-and-switch is unacceptable, especially when it involves placing an ICE detention center in a residential community without any community input,” he wrote.

A spokesperson for ICE stated that the property “will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards.

“Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space,” the spokesperson wrote.

Rep. Robert Menendez, Jr. also criticized the plan.

"DHS and ICE have repeatedly and maliciously lied to the American public while they continue to relentlessly attack our communities. "But we will never relent in our fight for justice and for our neighbors,” Menendez wrote.

Roxbury Mayor Shawn Potillo says the town will oppose the purchase of the property.

“Let us be clear: Roxbury Township will not passively accept this outcome. The Township Council and our legal team have been preparing to pursue all available legal remedies. We are ready to challenge this matter in court and will act swiftly and aggressively to stop the development of a detention center in Roxbury Township,” Potillo wrote.

The mayor says that DHS has refused to speak with town officials on the matter.

“It is also inconceivable and frankly stunning that all of our communications to DHS on issues related to this selection as a detention center were never answered. This community is the most impacted by this facility, yet we received absolutely no feedback from DHS,” Potillo wrote.

The mayor added that his responsibility will always be to protect the people and property of the township.

New Jersey currently has two other immigration detention centers located in Elizabeth and Newark.