ICE Targets Montreal-Connected Warehouse for Major Detention Facility Expansion
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actively considering the conversion of a substantial warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey, into a detention and processing center as part of a significant nationwide expansion of immigration detention infrastructure. The facility in question is owned by Dalfen Industrial, a prominent U.S. industrial real estate company with foundational ties to Montreal, dating back to its establishment in 1935.
Montreal Roots of a U.S. Real Estate Powerhouse
The Roxbury warehouse, a 470,000-square-foot property located on Route 46, is owned by Dalfen Industrial. This company traces its origins to a family-run enterprise founded in Montreal by Joseph Dalfen in 1935. The business, initially focused on other ventures, later pivoted to commercial real estate and expanded into the United States during the 1990s.
The current chief executive, Sean Dalfen—grandson of the founder—was born in Montreal, attended McGill University, and briefly worked in the city before relocating to Dallas, Texas, where he now runs the company. Sean took over the business from his father, Murray Dalfen, whose connections to Montreal remain strong. The Dalfen family operates a multimillion-dollar foundation that has supported notable Montreal institutions, including the Montreal Heart Institute and Chabad in Westmount. The firm maintains offices in Montreal alongside other major cities like Dallas, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Leaked Plans Reveal Expansion Ambitions
According to leaked planning documents obtained by The Gazette, the Roxbury site is identified as a potential detention and processing center capable of holding up to 1,500 detainees. These documents outline a broader strategy by ICE to expand its overall detention capacity to more than 80,000 people at a time, a plan first reported by The Washington Post. The proposed model involves holding individuals at regional processing centers, like the one contemplated for Roxbury, for several weeks before transferring them to larger-scale warehouse facilities designed to hold between 5,000 and 10,000 detainees each.
The documents indicate that federal representatives were scheduled to visit the Roxbury warehouse on January 14. Since then, Roxbury Township officials have met with ICE representatives and toured the facility, as confirmed by local media reports. A commercial listing for the property, posted by brokerage firm JLL, shows it is currently being marketed for sale or lease, though it remains unclear whether U.S. authorities would pursue an outright purchase or a lease agreement if the project proceeds.
Political and Community Backlash
The proposal has sparked significant opposition from various quarters. Eleven Democratic U.S. lawmakers condemned the Roxbury plan last month in a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, criticizing the expansion of immigrant detention in New Jersey. The Department of Homeland Security's initiative to operate large-scale warehouse detention centers has also drawn fire from human rights groups, immigration advocates, and activists who argue it entrenches inhumane practices.
Roxbury Township council has formally opposed the project, and the plan has triggered weeks of protests by immigration advocates and local residents. This backlash mirrors similar controversies elsewhere; for instance, Jim Pattison Developments in British Columbia recently withdrew from a comparable warehouse sale in Virginia, as reported by the Vancouver Sun.
Corporate and Government Responses
Dalfen Industrial, which acquired the Roxbury property in 2023 and markets it as the Roxbury Logistics Center, did not respond to questions before publication. An ICE spokesperson told NBC that while the agency has new funding to expand detention space, it has no new centers to announce at this time, adding that any facilities would be "well-structured" and meet detention standards.
The scrutiny extends beyond Dalfen Industrial; Montreal-headquartered GardaWorld has also faced examination over a multimillion-dollar U.S. contract related to immigration detention, including staffing a facility nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." This context highlights the complex interplay between corporate entities with Canadian connections and U.S. immigration enforcement policies.
This development occurs amid the Trump administration's broader push to expand detention and processing centers across the United States, a move that continues to generate intense debate over immigration policy and human rights.
