ICE Jailer in N.J. Is Sued By Its Landlord, Claiming Unsafe Conditions

The owners of a windowless former warehouse that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees in Elizabeth, N.J., is alleging dangerous conditions at the facility and suing to end its lease, representing another potential victory for activists seeking the end of controversial immigration detention in the state. 

The lawsuit filed Monday alleges that CoreCivic, the private prison operator that leases the facility and contracts with ICE to hold about 145 asylum seekers and other undocumented immigrants, breached its contract by failing to follow local and federal safety regulations to stop the spread of Covid. The Elizabeth Detention Center has had more Covid cases than other ICE facilities in the region, and both security and medical employees have died. One  dozen detainees newly tested positive at the end of April, just as cases statewide were dropping.

The lawsuit comes days after Democratic officials in Essex County announced they would stop housing ICE detainees by August. Democratic leaders in Hudson County, which likewise holds ICE detainees at its county jail, also signaled they might cancel their new 10-year contract with ICE. Meanwhile the sheriff in Bergen County said last week that jail is no longer admitting additional ICE detainees. 

Anti-ICE activists were thrilled at the news, which first broke on WNYC Monday. They have long held protests, prayer services, and 24-hour vigils at the facility. Scores of people have been arrested outside for engaging in civil unrest. When congressional representatives toured the facility in 2019, they framed it as a symbol of Trump Administration immigration abuses. 

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